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The third novel in the acclaimed Mossy Creek Hometown Series continues the warm, witty and wise doings
in a small southern village you’ll want to call home.

It’s a typical summer in the good-hearted mountain town of Mossy Creek, Georgia, where love, laughter and friendship make nostalgia a way of life. Creekites are always ready for a sultry romance, a funny feud or a sincere celebration, and this summer is no different.

Get ready for a comical battle over pickled beets and a spy mission to recover hijacked chow-chow peppers. Meet an unforgettable parakeet named Tweedle Dee and a lovable dog named Dog. Watch Amos and Ida sidestep the usual rumors and follow Katie Bell’s usual snooping. In the meantime, old-timer Opal Suggs and her long-dead sisters share a lesson on living, and apple farmer Hope Bailey faces poignant choices when an old flame returns to claim her.

Your favorite authors are back along with some wonderful new storytellers—plus more recipes from Creekite chef Bubba Rice. Pull up a wicker rocker, sip some peach-flavored iced tea, and listen as the townsfolk of Mossy Creek share their lives with you once again.

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Reviews

The Rock Hill Herald, Rock Hill, South Carolina
Reviewer: Chloe LeMay

Funny and heartwarming.

Romantic Times BookClub Magazine
Reviewer: Jill M. Smith

SUMMER IN MOSSY CREEK, Deb Smith, ed. BelleBooks
* * * *1/2 - Top Pick
Belles, rejoice! It's time for another peek into the warm, offbeat, fun-loving place that is Mossy Creek, GA. Once again the inhabitants of this unique town share pieces of their lives and all the regulars are back, including Mayor Ida Hamilton Walker and Police Chief Amos Royden. Join the fun and find out what a summer is like in Missy Creek.

The stories that make up the Mossy Creek anthologies should be savored--they make readers hunger for more. Do not miss the third installment of this wholly entertaining series by Deb Smith, Sandra Chastain, Debra Dixon, Martha Shields, Anne Bishop, Kim Brock, Susan Goggins, Patti Henry, Judith Keim, Shelly Morris, Bo Sebastian and Carolyn McSparren.

Romance Reviews Today
Reviewer: Astrid Kinn

My favorite town is back in SUMMER IN MOSSY CREEK, the third installment of the Mossy Creek Hometown Series, and I've missed it. For those of you unfamiliar with the first two books in this series, Mossy Creek is a small town in Georgia, established in 1839, with a population of under two thousand. The Mossy Creek Storytellers Club is the collection of authors that gathers to tell the stories of Creekites in these charming books that have fast become among my favorite reads.

This time around, we are treated to 13 short stories during one summer in Mossy Creek. Interspersed are excerpts of the editorials written by Katie Bell in the Mossy Creek Gazette. Katie is a recurring character -- she's in charge of reporting the local town news, or gossip, if you will. In fact, she's the snoopy character who is reportedly letting the characters tell their stories in these pages. There are also a few other recurring locals that are mentioned in almost every story. For instance, Amos Royden, the town's Police Chief not only pops up every now and again, he is also the subject of "Amos and Dog,” a heartfelt story about how the love of a pet can come in very handy in these times of need. Amos is often seen about with town mayor, Ida Walker, and there's talk about the two of them, but no one really seems to know exactly what is going on.

There are also plenty of new characters in stories that are often sad, funny, delightful, tender and always, always clever. Meet Therese, a ten-year-old hell-bent on redeeming the rotten reputation of her female relatives and making them acceptable to the rest of Mossy Creek once again. Or Mamie and Grace, neighbors and sworn enemies for decades until the fateful day nature steps in and ends the seemingly impenetrable feud. As in so many small Southern towns, much of the town's heritage stems from two families, the Bigelows and the Hamiltons, and their mutual hatred. Still, there are many newcomers, many old-timers, and many locals that leave, but inevitably find their way home again. Meeting them all has been absolutely enchanting.

My favorite pick for a great summer read, SUMMER IN MOSSY CREEK is as good as it gets. I can't recommend it enough. It will put a smile on your face, bring a tear to your eye, and leave you feeling positively charmed.

The Best Reviews
Reviewer: Harriet Klausner

"Sweet southern literature"

If the Lovin' Spoonful had been in the Georgia village of Mossy Creek rather than Greenwich Village, they would know that hot time, summer in the mountains means plenty of fun, ole southern style. The townsfolk look for a quiet uneventful season, but also know their enemy in slimy Bigelow still remains on the prowl. Meanwhile the librarian pushes the Police Chief into bluffing an abusive parent while the Mayor leads by example applying common sense to seemingly difficult problems. Much of the townsfolk meet eating dessert at the diner, but along with fans will find hot fun in the summertime here.

The third Mossy Creek tale is a series of vignettes written by a virtual who’s who of the iron maidens of the south (more talented than steel magnolias). The contributions differ in size while providing a slice of life in a small remote Georgia mountain town. Each story builds up on the previous contribution so that the audience receives an anthology that uses the best elements of a novel and that of a short story into a tremendous collection. SUMMER IN MOSSY CREEK holds in own with its superb predecessors. Fans of the series already know that the first two books flow smoothly; the third tale shares in common with the previous duo a southern comfort smoothness.

Source: WMAC-AM, Macon, Georgia
Reviewer: Jackie Cooper

SUMMER IN MOSSY CREEK by Various Authors

SUMMER IN MOSSY CREEK is the third in a series of novels which focuses on the lives of the good folk who live in the fictional town of Mossy Creek, Georgia. The writers are Deborah Smith, Sandra Chastain, Debra Dixon, Martha Shields, Anne Bishop, Kim Brock, Patti Henry, Judith Keim, Bo Sebastian, Shelly Morris, Susan Goggins and Carolyn McSparren.

These talented writers create stories which are unique and separate, but they also write with one voice which is that of brotherly love and human compassion. You won't find offensive behavior treated as the norm here. Bizarre behavior yes, but offensive behavior no.

This particular group of stories seem to have the theme of friendship. You see it most positively in two of the best stories in the bunch, "Amos and the Dog" and "Sadie and Etta." These are the two that caused me to choke up a bit while reading them.

But even if these two are my favorites, it doesn't imply that the others are without charm. They all reach inside your heart and find that certain place where far away days reside. Then they lull you into their rhythm and take you back to a time when the dirt beneath your feet was hot and the air through the open windows was cool.

If you have read the first two books then you know that Mossy Creek and the town of Bigelow are eye to eye competitors. And that feud/race continues in this book. Plus we learn more of just why Mossy Creek is the absolute best place to live.

If you are from the South, living in the South, know someone living in the South, or have ever wanted to live in the South; then you owe it to yourself to visit the pages of SUMMER IN MOSSY CREEK. It takes you to a land that time has not forgotten, but has embraced. It is a place where all the good things still thrive and all the bad things move on down the road.

I don't usually subscribe to the notion that it "takes a village to raise a child," but when the village is Mossy Creek, well I say more power to it. And any child raised here has surely been blessed by God.

In the South the drink of choice is iced sweet tea with extra lemons. I raise my glass to the writers of SUMMER IN MOSSY CREEK. They have done themselves proud one more time.

SUMMER IN MOSSY CREEK is published by Belle Books. It contains 320 pages and sells for $14.95.

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