Ripples from the Holler
A Folklore Told Through Word and Sketch
by
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This tale is a laconic fictional story. It is blended with historical snippets that help to facilitate the experiences of a Christian family who survived the trials and hardships from the early 1900s back to the early 1800s, personalized with some peculiar twists and turns--mixtures of elation and tragedy. For poor folk, it is not a unique saga, as many have lamented and rejoiced through similar situations so if you think this is about your ancestors, you may be right, or you may be mistaken. Either way, it is shared here with a tenacious and heartfelt spirit. You may find a bit of yourself, a granddad, or cousin here or there, wrapped within your own interior cobwebs of vague childhood recollections about Indian ancestors, lore of the Eastern Tennessee hills, effects of the Great Depression, the Civil War and the numerous Indian Wars. In consideration that much happened during those times, the locations and events that were left unmentioned—important things, know that my intention was to focus on telling an adventurous tale about a 1930s hunt and gather family surrounding certain dramatic incidents moving from their Tennessee holler to the Gallo Mountains of New Mexico and then back again to their roots. Names and numerous details are imaginary except for known historical persons, places or events that are intertwined in a fictitious manner. Artistic license mixed with historical touchstones were used to develop ties as deemed necessary or complimentary. Fantasy plays its part through actions, mysteries, the supernatural and a pinch of romance. You may think the plots Any perceived mistakes or wherever the story has fallen short of expectations, are due to my own unintentional gaffes. Along with rough pencil sketches of key characters and some landscapes, I offer this trilogy, the three connected together by the same family line. The multiperiod epic begins with Part One, “Mystery in the Gallo Mountains” placed in the early 1900s and works backwards to Part Two, “Vandora’s Flight” situated in the mid 1800’s. The book concludes with Part Three, “The Ways of Will,” that relentlessly cries out for the future survival of this family during the perilous early 1800s. A monomyth of sorts was used structurally which meant traveling backwards in time, starting with what was known by our narrator, then moved deeper into the murky past of the 1800s for a slow, painstaking journey into the unknown—secrets yet to be unearthed. But, in Part Three the saga comes full circle to disclose what was found and now known by our hero’s great grandkids, a family line that has survived through the generations, and for good reason. Ready yourself for a tale of a ride that will take you to places and into relationships unimaginable and, into things you’ve never done, seen, or experienced by drawing you in close with this early American mixed blood clan. However, you may have lived through similar circumstances that are universal to humanity. Join the family, open your mind and heart; yearn to reach out when desired or needed, fight for what Paul wrote about in Phil. 4:8. Paraphrasing, he spoke of things to dwell upon: Truth, honesty, justice, purity, loveliness, goodness, virtue and whatever is worthy of praise. These were the implements of survival for this family—empowered by love.
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About the Book
Ripples From the Holler is a fictional trilogy blended with historical touchstones that recounts the extraordinary adventures of an American mixed blood family who survive trials and hardships through the early 1900s back to the early 1800s. Truth, deception and the mystic merge into peculiar twists and turns––times of elation and tragedy as the line transitions from Indian lifestyle to White civilization—hunter gatherers to farmers. Indian ancestors, the lore of Tennessee hill folk, effects of the Great Depression, bits of Civil War traumas and Indian battles that raged across the plains and woodlands unfold. Narrated by a tenacious, feisty character whose life is deeply affected tells all––up front and personal. Fantasy with action, mystery, and the supernatural are entwined together, spiced with a pinch of romance, some rippling across to the Tennessee river waters from far away shores. Rough sketches of key characters and landscape are interspersed throughout to magnify the text visually tracing this remarkable line of kin, held together by God, love, and pure grit.
About the Author
Gene Berryhill, Ph.D. worked as a professor of art and art history at universities in numerous parts of the world for over thirty years, her most recent positions being at the Belmont University campus in Nashville, TN and the University of Maryland-UMGC online. A published non-fiction author, a Fulbright scholar and a National Endowment for the Humanities co-recipient briefly sums up her career in academia.
As a professional artist in mixed media and documental photography with a stint in fresco painting, four years ago she picked up sketching and painting on canvas again, which sparked, lit the kindling, and started the fire to write this book. It was a leap of faith from her city life and extensive travel back to her love for Tennessee, the country and kin—past and present.
Her first project of historical fiction, she loves reading others’ works of like kind that creatively mix history and fact with lore. Reading into the wee hours with thunder, lightning and rain overhead is one of her favorite past times. Today Berryhill lives with her husband and cat on the Cumberland River in the Tennessee woodlands.