Louisiana Stories

A dead beech log across Crooked Bayou This companion passage to Joe’s visit to the baygall occurs over a year later in our story. It’s near the end of The Wayfaring Stranger. It’s my favorite passage and when I read the end of it to groups, their reactions are always a mixture of nods, smiles, and tears. Enjoy it! -C.I. …

Terry and Sara Iles We had a wedding today. DeDe and I didn’t lose a son, we just gained another daughter. It’s a bittersweet moment when your youngest child marries. There is a finality to it. We’ve had a partial empty nest for two years, but the nest became truly empty today at 10:00 am. And that’s a good thing. …

  Clayton Iles Bio I was recently asked by the East Beauregard Elementary Student Council to write a short bio about my dad, Clayton Iles. These students adopted a stretch of Louisiana Highway 394 named in memory of Daddy. Daddy worked with youth for his entire life. He enjoyed young people and was committed to teaching them about God as …

A Friendship Fire Author’s note of 5/20/09 : This story, written eight years ago in 2001, is one of my favorites. It is especially poignant because our son Terry, who the story revolves around, gets married in three days. At the end of this, I’ve added a postscript about a very special friendship fire we had last night. A Friendship …

School’s out for summer… nearly Mrs. Shirley’s English class at DeRidder High As an author, I’m always involved with three (3) books at a time. 1. Marketing my latest published book. In this case, The Wayfaring Stranger. 2. Finishing up with my latest manuscript. In this case, A Good Place. 3. And beginning on a new novel. In this case, …

Branded A lesson on keeping your mouth shut I came of age in the 1960’s and early 70’s. It was a time of great upheaval and change in America. I saw the events of this time one by one on TV – the assassinations and an unpopular war that brought down one president followed by the political underhandedness that brought …

Aunt Margie and the “Shreveport Revival” (Pictured above) My musical heritage. My great grandmother, Theodosia Wagnon Iles, on the fiddle, my grandfather Lloyd Iles “playing the saw” and my barefooted Aunt Margie Nell Iles Walker on the piano. This picture is circa 1950 and taken at The Old House in Dry Creek. The Revival comes to Shreveport This story on …

The following story comes from my second book, The Old House. An Unbroken Circle of Music One of life’s greatest joys is gathering with friends and family to share together in something we all enjoy. It may be fishing, playing dominoes, or just eating a meal together. But anything we do with those we love multiplies the joy. Therefore, on …

A Dropped Wedding Ring I’ve spent my life sitting in the pews, and have seen so many interesting things happen. Most memorable are times when I’ve seen (or heard) items dropped in church. I’ve seen the embarrassment of ushers dropping the collection plate as the coins rolled all over the auditorium I’ve heard songbooks slap loudly as they landed on …

* see additional entry at bottom of blog page. My Mom’s Best Gift (Photo above) A Texas bookmobile circa late 1950’s. My mother, Mary Iles, always described where we lived as “out in the sticks.” we didn’t even really live in the small village of Dry Creek, but out in the nearby woods on the “wrong side of the creek.” …

Hugh Jackman in “Australia” “Don’t do it, Wolverine.” In November, I was listening to a NPR interview with actor Hugh Jackman. Now I’m not very hip and haven’t seen Jackman in his “X-Men’s” role as Wolverine, the superhero. However, I did enjoy the character he played in the recent, “Australia.” In the above mentioned NPR story, Jackman told of playing …

Getting married this month Sara Knuckles and Terry Iles It’s hard to believe that Terry, our youngest son, is getting married in less than three weeks. I fell in love with his wife-to-be, Sara Knuckles, long before he did. I met Sara when she first moved to this area as a middle schooler. Being manager of a youth camp, I …

Unused Power I was born during a period of history when many World War I veterans were still alive. Of all those old men, the one that sticks out was a veteran named Manuel “Curt” Green. Curt Green was one of those country men who had never been anywhere, nor desired to, until World War I broke out. He traveled …

Bolivar Bishop, Beauregard Parish Sheriff 1971-2008 My Sheriff I’ve lived in Beauregard Parish for fifty-two years And he was my sheriff for all but sixteen of those years. There have only been three parish sheriffs in my lifetime. I was born under the administration of Sheriff Paul Stark (1948-1972). When he retired, a banker, Bolivar Bishop, was elected. For the …