Every once in a while a story comes along that slams into you like a bulldozer and demands that you write it. That was Wildwood Healer and Miss Sicily Rossi. She’s known in Silsbee, Texas as a healer. A few call her the Witchy Woman but she’s far from being a witch. Miss Sicily collects plants, roots, herbs, and things from the woods and makes her remedies. She’s the only kind of doctor these people have for their many ailments.
Come on this journey with me to 1930.
This is in the middle of the Depression and food is very scarce. Starving people worries Miss Sicily. But how to help so many people is beyond her meager resources. It makes her heart sore and weary.
Then a young wife keeps appearing at her door after beatings she suffers at the hands of her raging husband. That’s something Miss Sicily can’t ignore and she has to try to save her.
Throw in a fourteen-year-old orphan boy who’s eager to learn what Miss Sicily can teach him about plants their power to heal.
At times, this book reminded me of the book Fried Green Tomatoes that was made into a movie back in 1991. I loved that story of the Whistle Stop Café and those women who ran it. Wildwood Healer is sort of like that but quite different. It’s set in the deep Piney Woods of east Texas. They don’t barbeque the bad guy and serve him in the café. I still laugh when I think of that sheriff and detectives eating it and raving about how tender the meat was. Maybe I’m weird for laughing.
Anyway, this book has a lot of humorous scenes to lighten the darkness. Albert is an 80-year-old who thinks every young woman is after him and wants to marry him. And the preacher in town who has a wicked sense of humor. Then a man who once asked Miss Sicily to marry him returns after forty years. This book doesn’t lack for side stories.
When everything comes to a head, who will live and who will die?
Miss Sicily has her work cut out for her and it takes all her expertise and skill to save the town. It’s a quirky, fun story where everyone gets what they need.
I just love this cover that was again designed by Dee Burks who made Love’s First Light. It’s up for preorder HERE. It releases October 8th.
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Here’s the opening passage:
The Piney Woods surrounding Sicily Rossi’s small dwelling whispered stories to her as she milked her cow and fed the chickens. She was luckier than most; she knew that. Everyone seemed to be starving these days unless they had a garden. Before she went inside, she studied the dark shadows of the forest that spoke of secrets and mysteries—some as old as time. She was a part of this land and knew she always would be. Here she was born and here she’d die. There was comfort in that.
Christmas wasn’t far off but it made no difference to her. It would call for nothing special.
The sun was just making an appearance when a soft whine outside drew her attention. Sicily often had sick folks appear at her home asking for her help, but they always knocked.
Curious, she opened the door to see the cutest, ragged dog tied to her porch railing.
A sign hung from the pooch’s neck that said: Will yu please feed Gypsy? Got no food.
Of course, she’d feed her, no question about that. She never turned away anyone or anything in need.
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I have a free copy available for ones who want to read and review the book. Click HERE for the link and put it on your ereader.
And Click HERE for the Preorder Link. Again, it releases October 8th.
What do you look for in a cover? What grabs you? Or is a cover really not that important to you? Lots to ponder. The book isn’t out yet but I’m giving away a $10 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter.
Here in the Texas Panhandle, we do love our cowboys. There's just something about a man in a Stetson and jeans that makes my heart beat faster. I'm not much of a cook but I love to do genealogy and I'm a bit of a rock hound. I'm also a NY Times & USA Today bestselling author of historical western romance. You can contact me through my website and I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. HAPPY READING!
https://petticoatsandpistols.com/sweepstakesrules/
This sounds like a wonderful story.
I love covers. I’ve been known to buy a book based on the cover.
Hi Denise, I have been known to do the same. If a cover doesn’t draw me, I will probably skip the book. But…it seems I’ve missed out on Colleen Hoover’s wonderful stories because the cover did nothing to draw me. I hope you have a marvelous day. Please stay cool.
I pay more attention to the cover for relatively unknown to me authors. In that case, a good cover first attracts me with a hint of location or type of story. Your upcoming release sounds very interesting for several reasons, including the Great Depression era and the natural healing aspect.
Catherine, thank you for coming. I appreciate your comments about Wildwood Healer. Yes, the cover is really important for new-to-me authors. I hope you get a chance to read Wildwood Healer. Have a wonderful day and stay cool!
something different
BN100, I agree that covers can draw you to something different that you might not have considered. That’s happened to me. Thanks for coming and stay cool!
I think covers are very important. I like this one, but I think I might like it better if it had a woman on the path.
Hi Janice, thank you for coming to read my post. We tried to put a woman on there but it just didn’t work and she was hard to see. The cover is really too busy to add more. I appreciate your comment though. I hope you your day goes well and you can stay cool. This heat is so awful. I pray for a break every day and can’t wait for fall.
I love this cover. Not a fan of the “comic book” covers that are so popular
Teresa, I’m not a fan of those comic book covers either. Or the ones that just have the title in big letters that cover the entire page. I will admit though that I missed out reading Colleen Hoover simply for that reason. And her books are all so riveting. Enjoy your day and stay out of the sun. I pray for fall to come quickly. We need a break from this heat.
If the author is unknown to me, I may rely on the cover To attract my attention.
This is a new time period for you. That’s what attracts me in this case. Although the cover is beautiful.
Hi Alisa, it’s great to see you. A cover is so important to me and if it doesn’t draw my attention, I usually skip it. Yes, this time period is new to me. I had no plans to write anything like this until the story popped into my head out of the blue and I couldn’t ignore it. When that happens, I feel the idea came to me for a reason and I had no choice in the matter. Although I never planned to write one, I love Depression era stories. Those hard times either made or broke people and the stories are endless. My parents lost everything and became migrant workers. They really had to struggle to survive. I’m sure you probably have seen a lot of hard times yourself. Love you, lady.
Good morning- I am so excited to read this book. I love the cover.
Call me crazy, but I love covers like this one, with just a landscape view, that way I do not get any miss conceptions of the characters.
One thing that turns me off on covers is putting a guy with a fake or bad hat on, especially contemporary books. I have to have a great true Rodeo cowboy hat and he’s got to pull me in. If the hats stupid and jeans look geeky, I don’t care who wrote it, I’ll pass it up as it instantly is unappealing.
But I love your cover. Congrats on another amazing book you’re giving us to enjoy.
Love you dearly.
Miss Tonya, thank you for your comments. I hope you like Miss Sicily and all the others that make up this story. The idea was so strong and gripped me from the start. I never set out to write a Depression era book but I figured this powerful story was just too strong to pass up. Ideas pop into my head for a reason by whoever or whatever is doing it. I feel “led” to write whatever story it is. Maybe it’s angels or people who lived previously. I don’t know. It’s just a mystery. But this story slammed into me one morning and was very forceful.
I agree that a cowboy has to “look” like one. You can tell the fakes from the real immediately. We just know. And I pass those up as well. I hated the cover of Give Me a Texas Ranger. He looked nothing like a ranger and he a huge ring on his hand. Those guys never wore anything like that or things that reflected sunlight and gave them away. I hated that model but I had zero say in the matter.
Have a wonderful day in Garden City and good luck on the car hunt! Love you, sister friend.
It’s definitely NOT the cover that usually grabs me! The exception to that was This Present Darkness. Way back when it first came out, I talked myself out of buying it for a few weeks, until one day, I noticed a sticker on it that said you could get a full refund, no questions asked, if you bought it and didn’t like it. It was a win/win, so I bought it. Took me ten chapters before I really got into it, and then I didn’t want to put it down!! It’s the ONLY book I’ve ever done that with!
Wow, that was pure luck, Trudy! The same thing happened to me with a Colleen Hoover book that’s now been made into a movie. Despite it being really popular, that cover never appealed to me so I didn’t buy it. It seems I missed out on an amazing story. Thanks for coming and thanks for your thoughts.
I pick up a book to read the back by the look of the cover. I look at cover 1st.
Cathy T, I do too. The cover is the first thing and if it doesn’t grab me, I pass on. I just wondered if other readers did that too. Also character names can either pull me in or push me away. If it’s a name I can’t pronounce or something really weird, I usually don’t buy the book. Have a beautiful day and stay cool. We’ll get through this awful heat one moment at a time but I’m longing for fall.
Your novel sounds captivating and interests me greatly for the story and era which is meaningful. The cover does not influence me a great deal since I read the synopsis and like to learn about the books.
Anne, thank you so much for coming to share your thoughts. You’re much easier to please than I am. Ha! If the cover interests me, then I move on to the blurb about the story. But a lot of these new covers just sit there and do nothing for me. I’m probably missing out on some good stories but I can’t help it. Books are so expensive and I hate to plunk out money for something I can’t read. It’s a strange world, this book world. 🙂 Enjoy your day and stay cool.
Hey Linda! This story sounds good! Can’t wait to start it! And I loved Fried Green Tomatoes!
I do love the covers of books. Always told my mother and sister-in-law if they would write one, I would do the cover! Of course it would be a color pencil or painting. I got tickled at my Sissy(sister-in-law) just the other day. She said she didn’t like the cover of a book. I had read it and it was good( guess it didn’t bother me since I liked the author) and I teased her,”Are you judging a book by its cover???” LOL
Best wishes Linda…always! And as soon as I finish my current book, I’ll read this one! Thank you!
And I love fall! So, I love your cover! We don’t have much of a fall in Florida sadly! A dirt road in fall is a beautiful scene to me! It makes you ask, Where does it go? What will be at the end of the road? Kind of a mystery. Pulls you in! In your cover, what is around the curve?
Tracy, I always enjoy your comments. Thank you for wanting to read Wildwood Healer. I never planned to write anything except cowboys but this story popped into my head one morning a few months ago with such force I immediately paid attention. I knew I had to write Miss Sicily’s story. She had once loved and lost and now she’s 60 years old and has made herself a comfortable life. She loves the woods that surround her small house and the things she finds there. She became so real to me almost in an instant. I’ve never had a book do that before.
I agree about roads on covers. Where does it lead? It’s so mysterious. I had barely started this story when I knew what should be on the cover. 🙂 I wish I knew where these ideas come from but that’s a big mystery. I don’t know if it’s an angel, or people who lived previously. It’s just so strange. I hope you enjoy this story and I hope it lingers in your mind like Fried Green Tomatoes. Love you. lady.
Covers hold lots of value to me as they are my first impression of the involvement of the author. I do not care for animated characters, or lots of graphic art said to be beautiful,. This particular cover on the book, Wildwood Healer, is very appealing and captivating to me. I love the cover and, of course, I also love wooded country roads. You hit the nail on the head as far as I am concerned. I have picked up the book as an ARC. I cannot wait to dig into it. Many thanks for the opportunity. I read from a good share of authors who either are members of this site or visit it.
Hi Judy, thank you so much for downloading a copy of this book. I hope it touches you in some way. Thank you for the compliment on the cover. I had barely started writing this story before I knew the cover had to have woods and a mysterious road. A lot happens on the road to Miss Sicily’s house. 🙂
I don’t care for those graphic art covers that look like a kid made them. The cover had to grab me first then I read the blurb. Those two things have to appeal to me or I’ll pass. Have a gorgeous day and stay cool!
I loved Fried Green Tomatoes! It inspired me to read all of Fannie Flagg’s books, and they’re all wonderful. I like covers with beautiful scenery on them, and also with real people.
Kim, thank you so much for coming. I agree totally about Fried Green Tomatoes. Except my book doesn’t go back and forth from past to present. It’s all in the past. I like to keep my readers there and not confuse them with a jump forward in time. I like covers with people on them somewhat as long as the people are appealing and not fake looking. And half-dressed models really turn me off. Have a wonderful day and try to stay cool, as hard as that might be.
Sometimes a cover will keep me from considering a book, especially the smarmy covers that show a woman draped all over a man on a book that is supposed to be a “clean” or Christian book. But I am drawn to a colorful cover such as the one on your book – that catches my eye and begs me to read it!
Karin, I agree. I don’t want to see that either, and like say, on a sweet romance. I’m so thrilled that you like my cover and the hint of mystery. I love roads. There’s something about them that draws my imagination. Thank you for coming.
I look at the cover since I hope that it reflects the story but it doesn’t depend on the artwork. It is important that I read the dust jacket as that is what I decide on.
Congratulations on your new story which is extremely interesting and profound. Wonderful period of time and a story that would be memorable.
Sharon, thank you so much for coming over. And thank you for the comments about my cover and story that draws you. I think you will like it. I think it’s very powerful. The message is that you don’t have to stay in bad situations. They only change for the worse, rarely the better. I appreciate your nice words. Have a beautiful day.
I am ashamed to say a book cover does often sway me to purchase as well as the summary on the back, I don’t really have a favorite genre of books I read, I tend to read whatever catches my eye, either the summary or the cover.
Hi Laura, thank you so much for coming. I read all kinds of books. It just depends on whether it draws me or not. And I’m finding that more and more, I’m drifting away from romance both in reading and writing. However, I will have a romantic love story in December. It’s a Christmas novella. I hope you have a fantastic day.
The cover has a lot of pull with me picking it up to read or not. I like the cover on this one. It sounds interesting.
Thank you so much, Barbara. I’m glad my book appeals to you. I agree that a cover has to pull me. I hope you have a wonderful day and try to stay cool.
I want a quick glance at the cover and see what the story is about-if it is a pirate adventure it needs a pirate ship on the cover; if it is a western a horse should be on the cover.
I actually spend more time reading the blurb on the back of the cover
Joye, I totally agree. There needs to be something on the cover to indicate the time period of the book. However, this one could be any time period. Something I should consider in the future. Thank you so much for coming and sharing your thoughts.
I am drawn to books first by the colors on the cover. Cobalt Blue catches my eye first, then purple or green.
Hi Audrey, wow, that’s interesting. I think I’m more drawn to earthy colors. Here’s hoping you find lots of good books with cobalt blue covers. Have a blessed day.
The cover is nice. Fall colors with a hint of Christmas. I love pathways. I like to see people on the front sometimes, as well, of a romance novel to give me a bit of mystery.
I’m curious about this one as I live not far from Silsbee, Texas and have friends who live there. How did you come to write about this little town?
Hi Debbie, to answer your question, I was looking for a place with heavy woods around it and Silsbee just seemed to fit the bill. And too, it’s off the beaten path so the people back in Depression days sure wouldn’t haven’t much. That’s such a beautiful part of the country. My daughter used to live in Jasper and that’s not far from Silsbee either. It’s so nice to hear from someone in that area. Thank you so much for coming. I’ve enjoyed seeing you.
Ah! Yes, the area is very wooded and off the beaten path. Such a peaceful place. I’m a history buff so I would love to time travel back to an even more quaint town. Although, the depression era was a hard time.
I Love the cover on this book and I do enjoy books from the cover it seems to draw me in Have a Blessed Day!
Hi Sarah, yes ma’am, a cover has to draw me as well. Thank you for coming. You have a blessed day, too.
A cover might catch my eye but it is not what makes me buy the book. I always read the blurb on the back to see if I’m interested in it or not, that makes my final decision.
Joannie, thank you so much for coming. Covers and blurbs are just so important and not to be done without careful thought. I hated some of my covers when I was with a publisher and had no say. Now I can make them how I want. 🙂 Have a blessed day.
I like a cover to have a real picture, preferably of some pretty scenery and a handsome man and woman that are in the book. I’m not too fond of the covers that have drawn in scenes and people, they remind me of cartoon characters and makes the book appear cheap.
Connie, I’m with you. I have not bought one book with those kinds of covers. They do look very cheap and kinda child-like. Thanks for coming and sharing your thoughts. I hope you have a blessed day.
I like people or scenic covers… not a fan of the cartoon like ones nowadays.
Hi Colleen, I totally agree. I love beautiful scenery. There have a few books I bought just for the cover alone. They turned out to be very good. Thank you so much for dropping by. Stay cool there in Arizona!
The cover is the deciding factor after the back blurb. If it’s unprofessional or doesn’t fit the genres I read, I pass. I’ve purchased a few books merely for the covers.
Hi Cheryl, wow it’s great to have you drop by. I confess I have bought a few books as well just for the pretty covers. They made me want to be there. You have some gorgeous ones. I’ve loved all your covers. You’re such a good writer. When I get one of yours, I know I’m in for a real treat. I still miss you on P&P. Stay out of that Nebraska heat. It’s as bad as Texas. Love you, lady.
Covers do draw you to the book so they are very important. You can’t always go by the cover. I like a lot of color in the cover but don’t care for the cartoon looking covers.
Hi Quilt Lady! Great to have you come by. I agree you can’t always judge a book by the cover but most of time I’d say you can. I don’t like those cartoon ones either. They just look cheap. Have a wonderful day. Much love.
I look for color combinations that compliment each other and aren’t too garish. There doesn’t need to be a person or people on the cover but whatever is depicted should be related to the story. It can be scenery, articles used by or pertaining to the characters, animals which are part of the story, or buildings, towns, etc. The title should stand out but not overpower the cover design.
Congratulation on the new book and best wishes for a successful release in Oct.
Hi Pat, it’s so wonderful to have you come by. We’re old friend, you and I, and pretty much like the same things. I tried to put a boy and a dog on my road but I couldn’t see them and had the designer take them out. I decided it was cleaner without them. The road is very important in my story. A lot happens on that little road. Thank you for the best wishes. From your mouth to God’s ear. I pray this book does well. I’ll have a Christmas novella in December. Back to romance for a spell. Love you, lady.
Sounds like a great story! Covers are important to me. They are what capture my attention and make me want to learn more about the book. I love bright colors and beautiful scenes.
Hi Cherie! Thank you for coming by to read my post. I really love this story and hoped my post would reflect that. Covers are very important to me too. I just love beautiful scenery. I hope your day goes splendidly and you’re not too hot. We’re burning up here in Texas. Blessings and love.
A cover speaks volumes to me. I will buy a book sometimes based on a cover. And horses – oh my – I’m a goner for sure! Cowboys – oh yeah!
I love the book cover Linda. It is perfect! Not too Christmassy to take away from the serious subject matter and yet, the many moving and loving parts of the book unfold in precious pieces one at a time. It is a heart gripper and a dose of reality for people who have suffered from abuse and poverty.
I’m about half way through reading the book. It is totally ? percent amazing. The reality hits me hard! Thank you for blogging today. As usual, I am taken back by how you are able to translate such feelings into your characters.
Love you dearly Miss Broday!
100 percent amazing!
Miss Kathy, your opinions mean so much to me. I’m beyond happy that you’re loving Miss Sicily and the others. This book came on so strong from the blue. I never had a thought about writing a historical fiction type story. But I knew I had to because I trust these voices that lead me. Thank you so much for your kind words. Love you much and big hugs.
Perfect cover and the colors are amazing and make me feel like Fall is here and that red color goes very well with the book ? title
Sure would love to read in print format
This book cover is absolutely gorgeous and beautiful
Crystal, thank you for liking the cover. I agree. Sure looks like fall and that’ll be such a welcome sight when it finally appears. This heat is unbearable. I’ll have this book in print. Keep a watch for giveaways after the release Oct. 8th. Thanks for coming and stay cool.
Yes, covers grab me first. I would like to have a pat answer for you. I would have to say that I have been able to narrow it down to color that grabs my attention first. After that, I have struggled to make much sense about what else has grabbed my attention. Congratulations on your new book. God bless you.
Thank you so much for your comment, Debra. For me, colors don’t have to be any certain ones, they just have to look pleasing to the eye. But I mostly lean toward browns, reds, golds. Thank you for the best wishes on the book. It’ll release Oct. 8th and I’ll have some giveaways. Blessings and love.
Linda, your new book cover is Awesome!!! Yes, I love to purchase books by their covers that has a lot of colors & maybe, a man or woman. But, more important to me, is the author. Still enjoying all your books.
Lois, bless your heart. You always make me smile. I’m so happy that you like my books. I understand about buying certain authors. I do the same. Blessings and love.
I do look for new books from favorite authors but will read ones by unknown writers if the blurb grabs me or I hear/learn of them some other way. A cover might cause me to pick up a book but more likely is my post-reading displeasure with whomever crafted the cover and paid no heed to the details of the story (wrong hair or eye color, that sort of thing).
Your new book sounds wonderful and brings to mind Elizabeth Goudge’s “The White Witch” and Paul Gallico’s “The Nine Lives of Thomasina.” Wise women healers rock!
Mary, thank you so much for coming. I’m glad my new book looks pleasing. I agree about wise women healers!! Oh yes! They rock!
I agree feeling sad when a cover doesn’t match the story. When I had a publisher, I got covers like that and could do nothing about it. Horrible. Blessings and love.
The cover are very important in draws you in with the colors and the picture. It’s the first thing you notice and it just totally speaks to you.
That’s true of me also, Sandy. I totally agree and that’s what I look for. Thank you for coming. I hope you have a wonderful day.