Our Books

  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 …

“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 …

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. …

     It’s World Series time.  One of my favorite times of the year.  I always recall how my Daddy took this week off to imbibe in two of his loves:  squirrel hunting and the World Series. In those days,  the World Series began early in October  (there weren’t divisions) and coincided with the first week of squirrel season. I …

                  A word from Curt After all of these years, it’s still one of my favorite stories. A humorous story with a good lesson. Enjoy! “A $1000 Saddle on a $100 Horse” This story was told to me by my friend Diann Cain Brown several years ago and it is still among …

Like most of you, I’m committed to being a Life Long Learner. It’s an attitude. It’s a habit. It’s the desire of my heart. It defines my mantra: Stay curious. Be Amazed. Tell Stories. “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago; the second best time is today.”                     …

Listen to the podcast of  “A Father’s Love.”  “A Father’s Love” From the Curt Iles book, Wind in the Pines. The story below always gets two strong reactions when I tell it. First, laughter. That is a good thing. Secondly, many times this story brings tears. Last year, I told it at Delta Downs (in Vinton) to a group of …

Listen to an audio of Curt telling this story. The Sermon in the Hayfield   He was one of my heroes, and tomorrow would be his birthday. This is a story of what made him special.     Love is patient and kind. . .    I Corinthians 13:4 As far back as I can remember, I’ve been around Ed King.  …

  What we’re about in 2016: 1.  Staying Curious. 2. Being Amazed. 3. Telling Stories. It’s Friday, which means it’s time to think about LLL. That’s Life Long Learning. It’s the reason I want to stay curious,discover, and share good stories. I. This week’s word is Gratitude. Here’s my favorite story on gratitude: Vance Gill, my guitar-playing Dry Creek friend …

A word from Curt: Emotion The best stories elicit emotion. Sometimes tears. Other times laughter. Even anger or sadness. A good story creates emotion. Today’s blog is a funny story from an unlikely location,  Dry Creek Cemetery. Enjoy. Laugh. Retell.   “Six Foot Deep” in Trouble   One of my ministries is to work with people in selecting their grave …

Today’s word is one I struggle with:  Prayer. I struggle with it because I get so wrapped up in my life and problems, zooming from one chore to another. Lord, teach me to pray. Amen. Reading this story (again) reminded me of the importance of prayer.     Pray One for Another   “. . .And pray one for another.” …

A Homeless Lady And Jesus said, when you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me. – Matthew 25:40   When the teenager saw me, he sprinted over. “Bro. Curt, there’s a homeless lady inside the Tabernacle, and she won’t let any of us help her.” “A homeless lady in Dry Creek?” …