This comprehensive account begins with the clan’s early years in Scotland and covers sixteen centuries of history, from Colla Uais, a fourth century Irish king, to the present day Carolina McColls. The first part of the book applies to all McColls (or McCalls) who can trace their families to Appin, Scotland. The second aspect of the story focuses on life in America from 1775 to 1870, between the American Revolution and the end of the Civil War. The last portion examines the post-war recovery of the New South, led by such men as Duncan D. McColl, Sr, his sons, and ultimately his great grandson, Hugh McColl Jr, under whose leadership, the Bank of America became one of the biggest, if not the biggest bank in the world.

Anthony Abbott’s most recent collection of poetry is stunning in both craftsmanship and sensibility. In poem after poem he forges a compassionate pact with the world, and like all enduring pacts, it is one that sustains and confirms—the poet’s life, ours, and the great healing powers of language.

- Robert Hedin, Author of “Old Glory” and Co-Editor, “Great River Review”

What Writers Do, with its behind the scenes look at the craft of writing, celebrates the series that continues to connect great writers with delighted readers. For more than 20 years the Visiting Writers Series at Lenoir-Rhyne University has championed great writers — both established and emerging. Rand Brandes, series founder and editor, and Anthony Abbott, this volume’s editor, have brought together some of the series’ most beloved and memorable writers to form a collection that includes: new prose by Bret Lott, Mark Powell and Dori Sanders; new poems by Sharon Olds, Fred Chappell and Billy Collins; and classic memoir excerpts by the likes of John Updike, Reynolds Price and Frank McCourt. More than words, this volume also features photographs of the writers and where they work.

Contributors:

John Updike, Anna Quindlen, Julia Alvarez, Reynolds Price, Ron Rash, Josephine Humphreys, Seamus Heaney, Billy Collins, Jill McCorkle, Sharon Olds, Lee Smith, Anthony S. Abbott, Michael Waters, Nathalie F. Anderson, Dori Sanders, R.S. Gwynn, Mark Powell, Bret Lott, Nikki Giovanni, Frank McCourt, Richard Chess, Cathy Smith Bowers, Fred Chappell, Kathryn Stripling Byer, Mitchell Gold, Abigail DeWitt, Robert Hedin, Eleanora E. Tate, Joseph Bathanti, Donald Secreast, Robert Inman, Joan McBreen, Rhett Iseman Trull

While Marci is tracking a vicious killer who is wreaking havoc in and around the picturesque town of Love Valley, a lookalike stranger compounds the detective’s challenges. The killer is no mastermind, but he possesses enough animal cunning and cold-blooded ruthlessness to make catching him a difficult and dangerous proposition. Marci, good cop, wife, mother in equal measure, struggles to keep work and personal life balanced.

Ketchie uses North Carolina’s Love Valley — where Old West ambiance allows only horses and horse drawn vehicles on the streets — and some of its real life residents to create a true to life backdrop for the action.

The story begins when Molly Moore, the youngest child in a large, tumultuous family tries to find her place in the midst of the troubled relationships around her. But Molly’s youth and innocence are squandered in the wake of her parents’ disengagement as the family disintegrates and her older siblings leave home. As Molly grows into adulthood and becomes a parent herself, she must face the hard truths of her parents’ lives and her own.

Published Reviews:

Kirkus review

Foreword Magazine review

Library Journal review