Thursday, December 08, 2011

What is Mignon F. Ballard reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Mignon F. Ballard, author of Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause.

Her entry begins:
Although I’m not currently reading this author, I do come back to him from time to time – especially when my spirits need a boost. I’m speaking of everybody’s favorite Yorkshire veterinarian, James Herriot. While adept at making fun of himself in just about any situation, he could also touch your heart. Unfortunately, he died several years ago so we fans have to be content to read his books over and over.

I’ll admit it – I’m an Anglophile, and Herriot’s tales place me right smack in the middle of the Yorkshire countryside with all those wonderful plainspoken characters. The relationship he shares with his eccentric co-workers never fails to involve some kind of complicated and comical dilemma that makes me forget my own problems because I’m laughing so hard at his. And I doubt if I’ll ever need to put this experience to use, but after reading Herriot, I do believe I...[read on]
About Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause, from the publisher:
Life in small-town America during World War II springs vividly to life as schoolteacher Miss Dimple and her fellow townspeople battle valiantly against worry, rationing, and crime at home as well as abroad.

It's September 1943, and the town of Elderberry, Georgia, including their beloved first-grade teacher, Miss Dimple Kilpatrick, has exciting plans for the Bond Rally to support the troops fighting the war abroad. Miss Dimple's friend, Virginia Balliew, has agreed to chair the big event, with the help of Buddy Oglesby. But when children discover a skeleton at the edge of a field, and Buddy disappears along with the war bond money, it's clear that something is amiss in the little town; and Miss Dimple, along with her fellow teachers, is soon on the case.
Learn more about the author and her work at Mignon Ballard's website.

My Book, The Movie: Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause.

The Page 69 Test: Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause.

Writers Read: Mignon F. Ballard.

--Marshal Zeringue