A Day in Mossy Creek Readers' Guide

1. The on-going, will-they-won't-they romance between 50-ish Ida and 35-ish Amos heats up a bit in this book. Do you think romances between older women and younger men should be just as accepted as May-December romances involving older men and younger women?

2. As often happens, some of Mossy Creek's senior citizens pull off some outrageous shenanigans. What is it about old people doing deliciously shocking things that delights us so much?

3. Without giving away a plot point--you know which poignant story we mean--do you believe in angels?

4. Patty Campbell and Orville Gene Simpson clash over a bargain table full of goodies at a yard sale. The weekend yard sale is a staple of Southern culture. Some people search the sales like treasure hunters looking for Blackbeard's buried loot. What is it about the challenge--and the lovable tackiness--of these events that makes them so appealing?

5. Louise and Charlie have a lovingly cranky marriage. Why is there so much comfort in knowing you can see your partner as both the most wonderful and the most annoying person on earth?

6. Peggy is a typical grandmother. Josie is a typical granddaughter. Meaning they share all the usual joys and troubles. Grandparents often end up being the most memorable of our sentimental mentors. Explain why grandchildren often have far more forgiving memories of their grandparents than of their parents.

7. Winter in the South is often a snowless experience. There is something about a crisp, cold, blue-sky Southern day in mid-winter, among the quiet of the mountains or the fields, that can feel like the loneliest place in the universe. Discuss your own memories and feelings about a Southern winter.