Our Books

The Wayfaring Stranger: Louisiana Journey Curt Iles The following post contains the introduction and first two chapters of my upcoming novel. If you enjoy these, additional chapters are being posted weekly at http://awayfaringstranger.blogspot.com . Curt Iles P.S. This is a draft. This means it is still in revision. It also means that your input and ideas are welcome and needed! …

The Mockingbird’s Song By Curt Iles A Review by Michelle Williams This book offers a unique glimpse inside the heart of a person who is struggling with depression and winning the battle. Curt Iles opens up his heart and shares the soul searing depths of his clinical depression. He also gives his prescription for hope and healing for those afflicted …

Sample Chapter: The Mockingbird’s Song by Curt Iles To see more, visit http://www.creekbank.net Chapter Eight: A Tight Rope Held by a Tight Friend World Trade Center North Tower New York City September 11, 2001 Stairway 27C of the North Tower of the World Trade Center was a space of both life and death on the morning of September 11, 2001 …

                          The Mockingbird’s Song by Curt Iles Chapter Four: The Thin Red Ribbon of Hope pages 8-15 My first thought was, “Hey, who turned out the lights?” Here I was in the woods between the main campgrounds and “The White House.” The White House is our adult center …

Each week I will be posting a chapter from my upcoming novel, A Wayfaring Stranger. I’m really excited about this historical story of how two characters, Joseph Moore of Ireland and Eliza Clark of Ten Mile, Louisiana came to meet in the mid-19th century. Feel free to follow along each week as I add a chapter. If you like what …

Preface: The Mockingbird’s Midnight Song -But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them (Acts 16:25). It’s the middle of another restless and sleepless night. Being exhausted both physically and mentally, yet unable to get the thing you need most – sleep, is so frustrating. So I finally wearily …

Dedication: To Ricky, My Friend for Life Writing a book about the dark times of one’s life is difficult. It is in our human nature to shy away from revealing the depths of our soul, especially when the subject matter is painful. This book of essays concerning my struggle with depression has been hard to write. Rather, let me rephrase …

The Challenge… The lady stood over me with her hands strategically placed on her hips as I sat at a table in the camp dining hall with her hands on her hips and a wrinkled scowl on her face. My earlier years from being a high school principal had given me a sixth sense of when a good eating out …

From: Hearts across the Water  by Curt Iles   The Tsunami December 26, 2004 It was a typical sunny tropical morning along the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia’s northernmost and third largest island. Being a Muslim nation, the days around Christmas were nothing to be noticed or celebrated, especially here in the Islamic area known as “The Porch of Mecca.” Even …

Christmas Jelly   This story from my first book, Stories from the Creekbank, is one of the favorites of readers of all ages.   I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas -Curt Of all my Christmas memories and traditions, Christmas jelly is one of my favorites. Each year I receive this special gift from a very special lady in my …

The Pine Knot Pile: A Lesson on Earthly Treasures All of a sudden, the February wind picked up and turned out of the south. Instantly what had been a small controlled fire in my back field became a raging monster. The flames spread rapidly through the dead knee high grass – as fast I as I could, I ran ahead …

      Aunt Eliza in the Congo The following fascinating article is from a Beaumont Daily Journal article in November 1920. It features a letter from the Belgian Congo, Africa written by my great-grandfather’s sister, Eliza Iles:                           Headline: Miss Eliza Iles writes of trip to Congo, …

      92 Dry Holes   A story on perseverance and resolve   Several weeks ago DeDe and I visited Ft. Worth, Texas where our son Clay, his wife Robin, and our grandson Noah live. Among the places they took us was the Amon Carter Museum of Art. It featured wonderful examples of Western Art, especially the sculptures and …

Burned, yet Blessed, by the Fire This is one of my reader’s favorites. The original story is in Wind in the Pines. This updated version will be in my new book, The Mockingbird’s Song. (It is due out in early 2007.)         The once green pine forest, now charred and blackened, lifelessly stares back at me. As …