TALES FROM THE BAYOU: Take A Ride On The Soul Train

I discovered early on that I was born to love music. I don't mean I'm able to tolerate it or that I simply enjoy listening to songs. I LOVE MUSIC! 

I was born to a mother who was part Native American and Cherokees sure do love their music. Then there was my father who was part Cajun and most people have heard of the Zydeco thing. Add to that the fact my maternal grandfather was a composer who built his own violin and my father would play the accordion for me growing up, I had no choice but to learn to appreciate the beauty of listening to great sounds...everything from the Grand Ol' Opry to Doug Kershaw.

I didn't know there was any other kind o music until my middle teens when I was allowed to start watching shows...like American Bandstand to Soul Train and The Midnight Special.

There's something about music, no matter the style, that connects with me and lifts my spirit. Even when it was time to grow up and leave my hometown I made sure my records traveled with me...a lifeline during hard times and a way to light up my future. Even today...years later...you can still find me rocking out to a good tune in my car and remembering some of the good musical moments from my childhood down on the bayou...

A to Z: Farruca

I like to dance.  I'm not saying I'm any good at it.  But I love to do it...by myself...in the privacy of my own home...or to the radio in my car...you get the idea.  Another thing I like is the mystique of the gypsy way of life.  When you put the two things together you get a beautiful gypsy dance called the Farruca.  Full of passion, full of power; someone dancing the Farruca would grab the world by the horns and not let go.  That's what I must do with my writing.  Search deep within myself and let my love of writing strut across my paper until my reader is mesmerized by my words and joins me on the dance floor.  Grab your partner and dance!

Fiddle-I-Fee
Written by: Will Hillenbrand
Illustrated by: Will Hillenbrand
ISBN: 01-52019456
Ages: 3-8
Teaser:  Animals appear one by one on the farm, playing musical instruments while Momma does different chores all year long.  But what is that she's knitting?  And what is the cat doing with that fiddle?