Louisiana Stories

A Note from Curt: As long as I’m alive, I will tell the story of Sgt. Leroy Johnson.     It’s a story worth telling, worth passing on.  We need to be reminded that freedom is never free. It’s important to remember stories of heroes who paid with their lives for our American freedom. There is no better example of …

    The Three Trees is on Amazon. It’s written as a graduation gift to my grandsons, but the short stories appeal to readers of all ages.   Visit our Creekbank Podcast for “Just Show Up” and more. It’s a good commute companion. Chapter 2    “Just Show Up” That’s it. It’s a significant measure of success. Just show up …

      My Dad was a remarkable man in many ways. He had a deep, unshakable faith that he shares so well in the following treatise. Please feel free to pass this on to folks who need a good word right now. Curt Iles   Our Father Knows Best By Clayton Iles   1934-2003 Written 1987 I do not …

updated on Friday, December 27, 2024 Our favorite store, Foreman’s Grocery in Dry Creek, is open again! Stop in for some of the best boudin in Louisiana and pick up a signed copy of Where I Come From.   Where I Come From: Tales from the Pineywoods   66 new stories. 291 pages Paperback Price: $20.00 Hardcover $30.00 Kindle eBook  …

  Everything rises and falls on relationships. -John Maxwell It’s all about relationships. It’s all about connecting.   Dr. Erik Bailey once told me, “My Aunt Dru always said, “Baby, even if our hands don’t touch, our hearts always do.” That’s relationships. They can be in proximity. Or they can be separated by miles. But never separated in hearts. Everything …

Order  copies  of Where I Come From at Amazon Download your companion e-book, “Medic!“ on Amazon. CHAPTER 50 EXCERPT From the Curt Iles book, Where I Come From. The German POW Graves Author’s note: I have photographs of the five POW graves. I’ll post later.   I scoffed when I first heard it: Five German POWs buried in the Alexandria National …

“I worship when I write, and I write when I worship.” This wonderful quote shares what I’ve come to realize: that writing and creating are ways of worshipping God. He is the source of my life, joy, and any writing skills I’ve been given. I want to be a good steward of those gifts in 2025 and beyond.   Merry …

      Remnants of the terrible 2023 Westport, Louisiana fire. Avoiding a Personal Forest Fire: “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” -‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬ One of life’s saddest occurrences is watching a good, successful leader lose their way. It’s like driving past a terrible car wreck. You want to avert your eyes …

The Catfish Lunch   Chapter 32, “The Catfish Lunch,” from Curt Iles’s latest book, Where I Come From. Learn more here. If you’re going to understand the culture of Dry Creek Baptist Camp, you’ll need to know about the monthly Catfish Lunch. If you’ve read any of my thirteen books, you know I grew up in a unique place: Dry Creek …

  CHAPTER 17 FROM WHERE I COME FROM:  Excerpt from “A Falling-Out.” Sadly, the turmoil of the recent election has caused me to see families and friendships break apart. This story from our new book, Where I Come From, may help you take that first step to reconciliation. It’s one of my favorite stories. I’m prone to list all of …

  Scroll to the next post for Creekbank Book Information, or click here. Author’s note: I originally cut “A Broken Cup” from the book. I wasn’t sure I was ready to be this transparent.   When we needed one more chapter to match the book’s spine width with the page count. I felt this was God’s direction to include it …

  Order your copy today!   Available on Amazon in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle ebook. Read the 66-chapter Table of Contents: Prologue: Patterans 1.Big-Hearted People 2.The Seed Tree 3.The Old House 4.The Eighth of January 5.Prof. Cavanaugh’s Best Lecture 6.Loving Hands 7.John Wooden’s Socks 8.“Curt Lies” 9.Hugh Thompson on Integrity 10.The Night The Old House Came Alive 11.The Hundred Foot …

Now available at https://bit.ly/KindleEbookWhereIcomeFrom The Talking Stick   I have his walking stick— the one he carried in the latter years of his life when I knew him best. His name was Frank Iles, but our family knew him as “Pa.” He was my great-grandfather and a major link to our family’s past. Pa’s ancestors were among the first pioneers …

  Psalm 50:20: The cattle on a thousand hills 10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. God owns it all: every head of cattle; every dollar bill.   We are simply stewards. He owns it …