The Little Cabin

I was about six years old and a bit feisty. Some things never change. My mama was fussing at me-so I decided to run away. Mama saw me packing a suitcase and asked what I was doing. "I'm running away," I told her. She informed me that it was probably for the best since she was so mean and all. She only had one condition: I was not allowed to take anything that she or my daddy had bought for me. We went through my Hello Kitty suitcase together and removed all such items-which left me with nothing, not even a suitcase. Mama cleared her throat and said, "Those shoes . . . we bought them . . . and the socks . . . and the shorts . . . and the shirt . . . oh, and those panties." Butt-naked, with my hand on my hip, I grabbed the lip gloss I had purchased with my own money and marched right out the door. I hopped on my bike, which was a gift from my godparents, and rode down the street to our music minister and his wife's house. I told them how my mama had taken away everything I owned but my lip gloss and my bicycle. I asked them if I could live with them. --Emily Bray, 38 years old, Memory Project Participant Little Cabin on the Trail inspires folks to assign great value to their seemingly insignificant memories and encourages them to use those memories to become their family storytellers. Personal stories give everyone permission to pause and consider that there really is a bigger picture, an eternal picture, where past, present, and future generations are linked, not only through their blood, but through their stories. Little Cabin on the Trail will certainly entertain readers with its view into one very ordinary family's life; but more importantly, it will help them to realize that they, too, have stories just begging to be told--better stories . . . because they are theirs.

First-person narratives of 21 former Virginia slaves edited from WPA slave narratives.

Once rustic and simple, the cabin is now comfortable and chic. "The Cabin Book" offers a wonderful variety of forms and explores the most innovative designs in cabin architecture.

#1 Bestseller! Readers' Favorite Silver Medal Winner Best Southern Fiction. A sweeping, moving historical novel set before the Civil War about secrets, freedom, and the power of love. "Impressively well written from beginning to end, Essie's Roses is an inherently absorbing and skillfully presented read, establishing author Michelle Muriel as an exceptionally talented novelist." -Midwest Book Review "...tremendously impressive debut novel ... A richly moving reading experience." -Historical Novel Society "Miss Muriel's novel is a thing of beauty. 5 Stars!" -Readers' Favorite "...all I can say is - wow, what an amazing read. ...I fully expect to see Essie's Roses on the silver screen someday, but until then I will simply look forward to reading future works by this author. 5 Stars (and then add some more)!" -Feathered Quill Book Reviews "...Ms. Muriel writes in four such distinct voices I felt like I was in the space with each one. ... exceptionally well written and it was very hard to put down. 5 Stars!" -Patty Woodland, Broken Teepee Growing up in the Deep South during the years leading to the Civil War, two young girls find freedom on a hillside overlooking Westland, an Alabama plantation. Essie Mae, an intuitive, intelligent slave girl, and Evie Winthrop, the sheltered, imaginative dreamer and planter's daughter, strike up a secret friendship that thrives amidst the shadows of abuse. Told from the viewpoint of four women: Katherine Winthrop, kind mistress and unexpected heiress to her father's small, cotton plantation; Delly, her sassy and beloved house slave; Essie Mae, her slave girl; and Evie Winthrop, Katherine's only child, Essie's Roses tells of forbidden relationships flourishing in secret behind Westland's protective trees and treasured roses. After scandal befalls Westland, Evie and Essie, aged nineteen, travel to Richmond, Virginia, to escape their abusive pasts. There, they face the gross indecencies and divisions leading to the War Between the States. Though the horrors of slavery and discrimination prompt action, Evie and Essie's struggles lie within. The secrets they hold and the pain of the past lead them away from one another and back home again. A story about a black slave who frees a white woman, Essie's Roses reveals the innocence of children's friendships, the diverse meanings of freedom, the significance of a dream, and the power of love. In their efforts to save each other, will the women of Westland find the true freedom they desire?

Laura helps Ma and Pa make the little log cabin snug and cozy for the snowy days ahead. 1994 "Pick of the Lists" (ABA)

From bestselling author Michelle Muriel comes the sequel to the #1 bestseller Essie's Roses, set during the Reconstruction Era post Civil War, Westland is a moving, gripping historical novel about family secrets, forgiveness, and the meaning of home. Evil men wait a lifetime to get even. On an Alabama plantation before the Civil War, two little girls find freedom, Evie the planter's daughter and Essie Mae, a slave. Now, women, divided by the aftermath of war they must find their way back home. Alabama, 1866. The Civil War's aftermath tests family bonds as the women at Westland: Miss Katie, kind mistress and heiress, Evie, her daughter, Essie Mae, an intelligent freed slave, and Delly a former slave and Westland's sassy matriarch, confront the mysteries and secrets of Westland's past to hold on to freedom and each other. As Rebel fires and lawlessness rage in the South, Evie and Essie Mae return to the home of their troubled pasts: Westland, an unproductive plantation. With a new vision, renewed hope, and the tranquility of Miss Katie's secret garden, they learn to dream again, but a mysterious stranger from Westland's past threatens to tear them apart. Delly warns unearthing family secrets may do it for them. When Evie's stepfather James receives letters threatening Westland and Essie, he will move heaven and earth to keep Evie and Essie safe with a surprising twist he prays will usher in the true freedom they all deserve. Westland is an unforgettable, moving novel about the power of forgiveness, the families we create, and the consequences of the secrets we leave behind. One woman will pay the ultimate sacrifice as the women at Westland learn: freedom isn't free.

From the author of the bestselling ESSIE'S ROSES comes an imaginative, emotional portrait of the secret side of grief and the deep bonds and secrets between mothers and daughters. Three women centuries apart set out to escape a colorless life, connected by one of the most controversial, beloved artists in the world: Claude Monet. But at what cost?

When Caroline Quiner and her family are forced to move from Brookfield further west, Caroline, who will become the mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder, does her part as they settle in and make a new home.