Introducing Button Box

Eva McCall is happy to announce the release of her 5th book, 'Button Box'.  The release will be in early 2014.  No additional information is available at this time.  Stay connect with Eva on Facebook, Twitter, and her website for future release information!

A Year Ago Today

If you told me a year ago that I would eventually play a part in publishing a book, particularly a book that is the best I have ever read by an author that has sold thousands of books and recognized by national icons, I would have laughed at you.  Yes, I never thought I would go down this road until I went to my aunt, Eva McCall, and said I wanted to do it.  I guess I can now say “never say never.” 

A year has passed, and so many things have happened with the production and release of Eva’s new novel, “Murder on Haint Branch.”  This is all Eva’s baby, but since working on it with her, I have felt like it’s my baby too.  This has been months of hard work.  And there were even times that Eva and I didn’t think it was going to work out. 

It was Eva’s birthday when the idea hit me.  We had all the family and all of the Carpenter sisters at my grandma’s house.  Every time I saw Eva at times past, I would ask how the publishing of the book was going.  And she would say that no one had picked it up and was waiting for something to happen.  I told her that if she was willing to invest some money and time, I would be willing to invest my time and previous experience toward the project.  I don’t think I had her sold on the idea at the time, but she said she would look into it and would send me the manuscript for me to read. 

It only took me three days to read the book.  And when I put it down, I stepped back and said, “Woah.”  The plot and the characters were all so well done, and were so rich in Appalachian history.  You know it’s a good book when you ponder about it all day.  As soon as I could, I called Eva and said, “You have to publish this!”

That’s what started our journey.  Eva still wasn’t convinced it was good enough to be published, or that we could do it.  But she did send it to Barbara McRae from The Franklin Press, and asked for her thoughts.  After a week or two, Barbara too said that it was good and we should pursue the project.  That’s what made Eva realize we needed to do it.  Eva felt that Barbara would also be good to edit the book and format it.  So as Barbara began the long process, Eva and I focused on other aspects of the book. 

Those aspects included finding a printer and a cover.  Henry Fichner offered to do the cover, so that was easy.  Finding a printer, however, was a different story.  Because we were doing it ourselves, we quickly found out why authors don’t get much money when they are with a publisher.  No matter who we went with, printing was going to be expensive.  We wanted to keep the printing process local, but wasn’t able to because the book was going to have to be published in the thousands before each individual book would be cheap enough. 

Months later, when Barbara had the editing completed, we still did not have a printer.  At the same time, we were pursuing a lead that would possibly get a quote from Dolly Parton on the back of the book.  But it all came together when we had the final version of Barbara’s editing, Henry’s finished cover, Dolly’s letter, and the final decision with a printer.  We submitted our final product to Book Patch, an online printer stationed out of Arizona. 

Nothing can describe the feeling I felt when the first printed copies arrived.  It gave me a sense of accomplishment, and months of hard work paying off.  These three books were in no way perfect (I have one of the three, and I have hidden it very good.  It’ll be worth something one day!), but it showed us what we needed to do to make it perfect and have it ready for mass printing. 

April 1, 2013 was the day that people were able to purchase the book in stores.  Now that I think about it, we should have done a midnight release like they did with the Harry Potter series (I will make sure to do this with the next book!).  I think we had planned on doing a release party with close friends and family, but wasn’t able to work it in our schedules.  I was so excited to hear that people were finally buying the book and reading it.  And while the journey of getting the book published was over, the next journey, selling the book, began. 

Since the release, Eva and I have sold lots of books, and learned new things in the process.  Our first book signing at Books Unlimited was a big success, and the signings following were also successful.  In May, the book was published in eBook format, which was another brand new experience for me.  And it has given me experience in advertising and social media, which is working well for my college major. 

I can’t believe it has already been a year since we started the project.  I also can’t believe it has already been six months since the book has been available to readers.  It’s true what they say, “Time flies when you’re having fun.”  This experience with Eva has certainly been loads of fun, and I have told her to call me up when she is ready to start the next book.  I’m expecting to get that call very soon. 

The fans of Eva and my family have all been so supportive and have given great reviews for the book.  None of this could have been done without you cheering us on.  And of course, this couldn’t be done without the mind behind the story.  Thank you, Eva, for giving me something to be passionate about and to be proud of. 

On to our next journey…

-Tyler

You can now purchase Murder on Haint Branch here. 

City Lights

The Birth of a Book

      The Birth of a Book

 

          Do you have the desire to tell a story? The story of your life, another person's story, or just one that lives in your imagination. Well, desire is all it takes. Too many people think because they don't have a degree, aren't good with grammar or spelling, that they can't write.  I'm here to tell you that isn't so or I wouldn't have been able to put the first word on paper. English was my worst subject in school, and I have a degree in homemaking and doing hair. Furthest thing from a degree in writing.  I've always loved the art of story-telling and had a love for words.

            I had a client who wrote short stories for a magazine. When she came to get her hair done, she would share with me what she was working on.  Many times she'd ask me which way I thought the story should go. I gave her my opinion and sometimes she'd take it. She invited me to a writer's club that she belonged to. From going to that group, I started Edge of Heaven. I never intended to write a book. My intentions were to put together the memories of my grandmother, Lucy Davenport Carpenter, and the way life was for my family living in the Great Smokey Mountains for my children. I developed myself a formula. I wrote in scenes and tried to keep three scenes to a chapter. Of course the scenes in the chapter needed to relate to each other. If I wrote a scene that came to me and it didn't fit where I was working, I'd save it and insert it when I felt the timing was right. The hardest part was keeping a time-line. That is making sure the story was happening in sequence. That is still hard for me. When I read Dan Brown's writing, I'm amazed at how quick his events happen. You would think you were in a time travel book, but it works for him. That is the catch. You have to find what works for you and do it. 

           Edge was finished at three O'clock in the morning at the same friend's house. She said we're not stopping until this story is finished. I'd write and she'd critique.  About three hundred and seventy-five words later than when I first put ‘Lucy Davenport's pa reached for the last corn fritter', till I wrote the last words, 'for this is home', I knew I had a book. It had been a journey and I might say a hard one but a good one, also.

            It took me two years to make the trip but now the real work was starting and that was to find a publisher.  After several queries to big publishers, I was told that this might sell to a regional press. I queried Bright Mountain Press in Asheville, North Carolina and was told that if I knew my grandmother well enough to know this was her story they would be willing to publish it. I responded that I'd been raised in the same household with her. That satisfied their requirements, and we were off to publishing. Of course, I had no idea what was to follow. There was lots of editing. Luckily, not much to change in the storyline. The editor had me soften the dialect which made it much easier to read.  At first, I wasn't comfortable with the changes but realized that I needed to listen because she knew what would sell.   

           The final thrill came when she called me and told me what day Thompson Shore Press would be printing the book. Thompson Shore was in Ann Harbor Michigan and since we lived it Flint it was easy to make the trip down and watch it come off the press. I got to hold the first copy in my hands. That was when I knew I had the 'Fever'.  Writing was in my blood. Good or bad, that was what I was created for. So if you have that little nudging down deep in your soul, get busy and put something on paper. Don't worry that it's not perfect. It can be fixed. Just write your heart out and you'll have a story.  Good Luck and God bless you in your journey.

 

-Eva

Book Sale

July 4th

Happy Fourth of July everyone!  Eva and her team hope you have had a wonderful day!  Eva would also like to thank you for supporting her today by purchasing her books through the Amazon and NOOK eBook readers! 

As of right now, Eva sold over 75 books today.  That includes all her books Edge of Heaven, Children of the Mountains and Murder on Haint Branch. 

Thanks to your amazing support, Murder on Haint Branch is currently in the top 5,000 books on the Amazon Kindle.  The book is also #24 in the Historical/Mystery section. 

Edge of Heaven is #16,500 and is #5 in the Southern category. 

Children of the Mountain is #16,300.

As you know, Eva decided to share her book Lucy's Recipes for Mountain Living today for FREE.  As a result, over 355 people have added it to their Kindle.  That made it #666 of the best free Kindle books on their site and #1 in the Historical Cookbook section. 

Eva can't thank you enough for your support.  She hopes you all enjoy your new additions to your eBook readers, and that you will spread the word so more people know to buy it. 

Have a wonderful 4th!

-Tyler

Giveaway

Eva McCall is giving away a SIGNED copy of "Murder on Haint Branch" through Goodreads!  Winner will be announced July 17th.  Good luck!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Murder on Haint Branch

by Eva McCall

Giveaway ends July 17, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

For Eva

For Eva,
Intelligent eyes--as blues as a clear morning sky, full of promise.
A small nose--that crinkles when she laughs.
a sweet mouth that curves up into a smile
so often it seems to be the way it always sets.
 Soft southern spoken words--that flow like honey from her mouth.
And a curiosity without fear--open and caring--coming straight from her heart.

She has know pain and suffering--the fatigue of illness so severe, that only her faith and hope could keep her holding on one breath at a time. But she not only survived, she has flourished. Giving back to life, with her goodness and her words.

She is a "wordsmith"--a writer who spins the tales of life in her stories. She is proud of her ancestors and what they taught her, and she captures the heart of them with her words. The spirit that carries her day by day along her journey of life.

She is a teacher. She wants all of those who hold words in their very souls to find a way to share those words--to know the joy of finding the courage to speak out with those words.

She is a gift-- for those who know her, cannot help but love her.

And it is love that sets us free.

-Deanna Lawrence, April/2013

Amazon Kindle

 

Eva McCall's new book "Murder on Haint Branch" is now available on the Amazon Kindle!  Make sure you buy your copy now.  You can purchase it here.  

Exclusive Offer

Discussions with Eva

Enjoy this video!  Don't forget to stop by Books Unlimited this Saturday for the book signing of "Murder on Haint Branch"! 

Book Signing Announcement

 



Feature Story

A Local Writer’s New Story Depicting Mysteries in the Mountains

Tyler Cook

Eva McCall, a local writer from Franklin, has enriched and gifted thousands of her readers with stories from the North Carolina Mountains, allowing a glimpse of her family’s history as well as combining fact with fiction.  Now 16 years after the release of her first novel, Edge of Heaven, McCall has returned with a new fictional book, filled with murder, mystery, and even moonshining. 

McCall’s new novel, Murder on Haint Branch, is set in Western North Carolina during the early 1940s, a story based on a true life event from her past.  She said, “The Idea for the writing of the book was born out of conservation with author Shelia Kay Adams. I was telling her about the death of my uncle in 1942. I said, ‘They said he shot himself but you don't shoot yourself with a shot gun and lay it back down on the bed by your side. Adams said, ‘That’s your opening line.’”  McCall said after that conversation, the story took a life of its own and her characters told her the story. 

She is no stranger to writing, releasing Edge of Heaven in 1997, which featured her grandmother, Lucy Davenport Carpenter.  In 2002, McCall finished Children of the Mountain, a sequel to her first, depicting Lucy in her later years, McCall’s father, as well as McCall’s first years.  Lucy’s Recipe for Mountain Living, her latest published book, was a team effort with her sister and included daily devotional type of stories picturing Lucy’s style of cooking for the large family she inherited.  McCall says that writing these books gave her the opportunity to relive the stories that were told by her grandmother, as well as educating her younger family members about their history.  “This is an important part of their heritage that they would have never really looked at if it had just been in family research,” she says, “But with the books, they will read and feel a part of it.”

McCall is a native of Franklin, spending her early years on “Carpenter Mountain,” as she refers to it in her books.  After graduating from Franklin High School, she attended Pfeiffer College near Charlotte.  After her marriage to George McCall, they moved to Flint, Mich., where he worked in General Motors and she became a beautician.  During her time in Michigan, she began to attend writing workshops which propelled her to start writing her earlier novels.  Now retired, Eva and George returned to Franklin where they enjoy participating in their community and where Eva has written her recent works. 

Barbara McRae, columnist at The Franklin Press and editor of Murder on Haint Branch, believes that McCall’s experience in the mountains allows her to portray accurate details, and combine it with her imagination.  “Eva McCall grew up in the Southern mountains in tough times, during the years after World War II. She brought her insights as a writer to bear on that period.  Her characters ring true, and they embody aspects of many of the mountain people.”

After years of appealing her new book to publishers, and waiting on their long reviewing processes, McCall said, “I decided I'd be too old to reap any of the benefits. After all, birthdays don't stop just because you're waiting for something special to happen.”  So she made the decision to self publish.  She gave the manuscript to her promotional manager to review, who felt that the issues presented in the book were not only relevant in the forties, but also in the present.  She hired members of the community to review, edit, and design a cover.  She also created the publishing name “Moonshine Press.”  After half a year of hard work, McCall feels that the book is ready for release. 

Throughout McCall’s years of writing, and during the production of her latest novel, she has received praise from individuals across the region, including country icon Dolly Parton.  After receiving permission from the Parton team to include her comments on the new cover, McCall couldn’t believe it.  “The truth is, it feels like it is happening to someone else, and I'm watching it from the outside, something like watching a movie,” she said.  “I think this is good because it helps keep me focused on what my goal for the book is.”

Both McCall and McRae believe that fictional novels such as Murder on Haint Branch are paving the direction to how the historical Appalachian region is being presented in modern times.   “I feel like this book gives a true picture of the way life was for the Appalachian people,” McCall says, “And it will help the reader to understand more of why life is the way it is now, especially college students and for people not from this region.”  McRae agrees, saying that this point in history has not been fully explored.  She also says that books like McCall’s are pointing the way. 

McCall is very optimistic about the direction of her new novel.  She has hopes for it to sell well, and dreams of it becoming a best seller or a film adaptation.  But her simple goal is to have the story touch someone’s life and making their day better.  Regardless of how things turn out, McCall says that her journey isn’t over.  She says that she has another novel also ready for release, a Civil War novel that many of her fans know as Button Box.  And as for new ideas, she says that she is “getting itchy fingers to write something else.” 

            Murder on Haint Branch is now available for purchase here. 

Tyler Cook is the nephew of Eva McCall, and has been involved in the production of Eva McCall’s Murder on Haint Branch. 

Now Available!

ANNOUNCEMENT: Eva McCall has order a batch of "Murder on Haint Branch," and the book should be arriving soon! Who is excited?

Can't wait for "Murder on Haint Branch" to arrive in bookstores?  Well you can now purchase it exclusively through BookPatch! Share to all your friends! http://tinyurl.com/evamccall

Announcement

ANNOUNCEMENT:  Eva McCall has approved the final version of "Murder on Haint Branch".  Eva will be making an order soon.  Soon after, it will be available for purchase on our online bookstore, and then will be available on the Kindle and Nook. 

Dolly Parton

Great news for Eva!  Dolly Parton has given her seal of approval for "Murder on Haint Branch" as well as Eva's other classic books!  Check out the amazing endorsement below.  "Murder on Haint Branch" coming soon!  -Tyler

Baked Black Bear

 

An excerpt from "Lucy's Recipes for Mountain Living" by Eva McCall and Emma Edsall:

 

 

Start with one large black bear, dead.  How to kill the bear is a matter of personal preference, but try to avoid using a shotgun, as it's nigh unto impossible to extract all those little pellets with a dull knife. 

 

Not normally being grain fed, bear tends to be a bit on the strong side, kind of a wild taste, Lucy used to stay.  Generally, she'd soak it in a bit of vinegar to tone it down a mite, and then she'd bake in the oven of that old wood cook stove.  Lucy believed the longer the meat baked, the better.  Helped to tender it up, she said.  I don't remember it being too tender, mostly just dark and stringy, but it was a nice change from the salt-cured pork in the smokehouse. 

 

In Lucy's day, bear hunting was a community activity.  As soon as the bear season opened, the men began to gather at Holman's with musket over should and bear dog in tow.  As they tromped off up the mountain, Lucy knew she wouldn't see them again until they'd killed two or three bears or the season ended. 

 

Bear hunting, like so many other things, has changed.  Men still go hunting but usually not as a community goup.  They'd just as soon not drag a bear home and face the prospect of butchering and cooking it themselves as not too many wives enjoy cooking exotic meats. 

 

"Lucy's Recipes for Mountain Living" is now available via Amazon.  Click here to purchase. 

 





Childhood Haunts

An article written by the lovely Barbara McRae back in 2012.  Thought you all would like to read it!  -Tyler

By Barbara McRae
-The Franklin Press
Friday November 16th, 2012

Eva Carpenter McCall and her husband George have settled not far from where her story began, in a big old house just a stone's throw from where they live today.  The old house had stood up well to the elements, Eva says, surmising that "back then, the termites didn't have teeth." Nevertheless, when she was in the eighth grade, her father, James Carpenter, built another house nearby and turned the old place into a chicken coop.

Eva spreads her arms to illustrate the size of the original Carpenter property and notes with satisfaction that most of it is still in the family. She and George are living in the house her daddy built. It backs up to Carpenter Mountain and, from their sunroom, the McCAlls look out on the massive form of Black Mountain.  These are the places of Eva's childhood, and they feature strongly in her novels, The Edge of Heaven (1997) and Children of the Mountain (2002), and a slimmer volume called Lucy's Recipes for Mountain Living.

"I've learned that you never lose what you started out to be, no matter where in the world you go," Eva says. Her adult life took her away from Franklin.  She graduated from high school in 1955 and attended Pfeiffer College. Then, in 1957, she met George in the sugar aisle of Mason's Food Palace when he was home on leave from the service.

"He got him a little sugar," Eva teases. But, it wasn't quite their first encounter. She remembers that when she was in the fourth grade at the old Slagle School, she saw him playing basketball. He was an older guy, in the eighth grade, and he caught her eye.  After they married, they moved to Flint, Mich., where George worked in the automotive industry. They had three children born there, two girls and a boy.

After "five years of motherhood," Eva decided to go back to work; she attended beauty school and launched a career that she loved.  A friend who came to get her hair done encouraged her desire to write. She brought Eva her stories to read and talked her into joining her critique group.  Edge of Heaven came about as a way to deal with a difficult family tragedy. A granddaughter, born with spina bifida, died at the age of 15 months after a long struggle.

"I'd come home, and I'd be Lucy, to help me cope," Eva recalls. (Lucy, the main character in Edge, was inspired by Eva's grandmother.)

It took two years to complete the novel. George encouraged her--he says he pulled the manuscript out of the trash can twice--and the friend who originally pushed her to write was also there to help.
"I went home with her and she said, 'You're so close to the end of that book. We're going to finish it tonight.'" At 3 a.m., Eva wrote the last sentence.

The McCalls enjoyed their time in Michigan. "It wasn't too unlike what life is here. There was the same sense of community," Eva said. "The hardest part for me was the difference in the way we talked. You'd be talking to someone and they'd be grinning because of your accent."

Writing helped. The mountain dialect Eva knew as a child is strongly featured in her books. "It gave me a sense of freedom," she said. She had bottled up that dialect for 43 years, trying to fit in; the books let it burst out.

Why does she base her novels on the hills of home? The answer is simple--"That's what I know." But then Eva stops to ponder: "Why don't I know about living in Michigan for 43 years like I know this?"
Carpenter Mountain was where her heart was. Ten years ago, she and George came home.

"When I came back, it was like being a kid again," she says. She was inspired to write a third book, again based loosely on memories and stories from her childhood. The main character is a girl named Ollie who grows up in the course of a tumultous couple of years.

"Writing the book was so much fun. I was in Ollie's skin."

Evan began this novel with the story, passed down in her family, of the death of her mother's brother. He was found dead in 1942, and it was never determined whether he was murdered or had shot himself.

Eva talked with novelist Sheila Kay Adams about the incident. "I told her, 'You don't shoot yourself through the heart with a shotgun and lay it back on the bed by your side.'"

"That's your first line," Adams said. "Now go home and write it."

And, Eva did.
The novel is finished; you can purchase the book here.   
Contact Barbara at mcbarbara@thefranklinpress.com

Cover

We are happy to present the cover of "Muder on Haint Branch".  Post your comments! 



Welcome!

Welcome to Eva McCall's webpage!  I'm Tyler Cook, Eva's Promotional Manager.  We are so happy that you have visited the page.  If you have been a fan of Eva for some time, then you know all that is currently going on with Eva, and the exciting things to come!  If not, take a look in the "About Eva" section to learn more about her. 

This site will serve as the central place for all news, photos, articles and videos related to Eva, as well as words from Eva herself.  We will post most of everything on our Facebook and Twitter, but wanted this for those who couldn't access those and/or we had some long articles. 

To keep better track of news that we post on here, go to the bottom of this page to Subscribe via email.  This subscription will send you daily posts that are added.  Don't forget that we also have a Facebook and Twitter page.  You can view them here:

www.facebook.com/evamccallbooks
www.twitter.com/evamccallbooks

Eva is excited to be releasing "Murder on Haint Branch," which will be released early March 2013.  I will be posting all related material soon, so stay tuned! 

-Tyler