Merry Christmas to you and your kin from all of us at the Creekbank. This new short story, “Midnight Chicken”, is our gift to you. May its theme of It is more blessed to give than to receive resonate and bless your Christmas. Curt and DeDe Iles Midnight Chicken   Dec. 23, 1943 Bundick, Louisiana   Elizabeth Miller awoke to …

A Gift from DQ   Christmas is a time for gifts and there are all types of gifts. The best gifts come from hands, hearts and are created from love and skill. As Christmas 2011 approaches, I’m obsessed with a gift I saw last week.  I call it a gift from DQ. DQ. I’m not referring to Dairy Queen. I’m …

This is chapter 16 from my short story book, Christmas Jelly. There’s still time for you to order copies of Christmas Jelly in time for Christmas stocking stuffers. Scroll down to learn more or click here. We are also offering a special Christmas price on a set of all twelve of our books: $100 for the entire set.  Learn more here.  …

First Christmas in Dry Creek J.J. Miller had set up camp where he had a good view of the surrounding area. There were no signs of any settlers in the last mile he’d come, and he had scouted down to the nearby creek and seen no recent signs of human habitation. It was December 24, 1853 and he didn’t expect …

In this week’s story letter: 1. A word called Resilience. 2. Free Download of “My Grandpas’ Boots.” 3. Christmas Sale: all 12 of our books for $100. 4. Filling your stockings with Christmas Jelly. 5.  Photos of “A Day at The Old House.”   A word for December. It’s Resilence. It’s a good word.  It’s about the quality of bouncing …

  It’s Christmas and time for a full helping of Christmas Jelly, our popular holiday short story collection. From now until Christmas, you can order copies for $10.00 each. In addition, we’re giving additional discounts for bulk stocking stuffers. (5 copies for $40 and 10 copies for $80). Shipping is $5.00 per order.  We’re making it super easy to order …

The Falcon My Daddy had a wonderful sense of humor. You had to know him well to be exposed to how he loved making fun of everything. He could really surprise you at times. We had an old 1963 Ford Falcon that had been passed around in our family. It had once been blue but by about 1980 it was …

This classic story is from our third book,  Wind in the Pines. Uncle Quincy’s Goose   “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”                       -Proverbs 21:23 This gift of human communication is a wonderful thing. But the corresponding trouble this ability to speak gets us in is often not good. Solomon in his book of …

Our weekly The Creek Letter isn’t meant to be one-sided. We love hearing from readers and friends! We enjoy your emails and Facebook messages. The painting below is by my Uncle, Bill Iles. It depicts Crooked Bayou, the stream flowing through our family’s homestead in Dry Creek. What is The Creek? In a word, it’s a way of life. A way …

He was a Stranger in a Strange Land.   How many days has it been Since I was born How many days until I die -Leon Russell Apr 02, 1942 – Nov 13, 2016 (age 74) Watch Leon perform “Stranger in a Strange Land.”    If the date calculator I used is correct, Leon Russell lived 27,254.  That’s a lot …

“A Tale of Two Caps” is from our third short story collection,  Wind in the Pines. With our current American conversation over a divided nation, I was reminded of this story.  It’s a timely reminder about the strengths of our country and the challenges we have.   I grew up in a home where my parents never judged people by …

A word from Curt:  Friendship I’ve been thinking about friendship. Having friends is priceless. Being a friend is a gift you give yourself. Of all the maxims my mom pounded into my head, this may be the best. Link to see my current 6+ Words List.  My goal is living the Wowed Life. Here is my three-pronged mantra: 1. Stay Curious. 2. …

Trespassing   He sees me about the same time I see him. And I’m trespassing. Trespassing on his land. The way he looks at me, I know he knows it. And so do I.   The trouble is I can’t go back: Behind me is a creek I can’t cross And I can’t go back. So I watch him carefully. …