Good Day in Hardy, Arkansas

Good Day

Book Signing

Words and Afterwords

Hardy, Arkansas

Had a fun day at Words and Afterwords Bookstore and Cafe in Hardy, Arkansas, Saturday, 30 July 2011

Thanks to Vicki for the nice angle on this signing photo.

Is that a Halo over me - with my last sale couple? She has the book in her hand.

Thanks to Greg and Vicki and the gang at Words and Afterwords, and their string of afternoon customers for a neat day! Nice to meet you all - and, see you next year, I'm sure!  ;-)

See you in Hardy, Arkansas, at Words and Afterwords

See you in Hardy, Arkansas, 

at Words and Afterwords

I will see you in Hardy, Arkansas, for a booksigning on Saturday, July 30, 2011.

Stop by and see all the upgrades and changes since we were there last year. Greg has been working hard to make this a very distinctive experience in North Central Arkansas. See you there!  ;-)

See a Snippet...

See a snippet of "The Homeplace Revisited" at:
http://indiesnippets.blogspot.com/2011/07/from-homeplace-revisited-by-william.html

Enjoy!  ;-)

Vet Clinic Open House - 1996 - 15 years ago

News of 15 years ago in the Oak Springs Enterprise - July 1996

Bevins Vet Clinic holds Open House

Dr. Jennifer Bevins, DVM, hosted an Open House at the Bevins Veterinary Clinic on the grounds of The Bevins Stables and Trail Rides east of Oak Spring the afternoon of July 15th. Over one hundred people reportedly passed through the facility during the afternoon event. 

'Doc Evans,' long time Oak Springs veterinarian, was on hand to remind everyone that 'Doc Bevins' was now the veterinary in the area for large animals such as cattle and horses. As he moves closer to retirement, Doc Evans is taking only small animals as new patients. 

In her remarks, Doc Bevins made a point to thank those who were most instrumental in getting her to and starting her practice. These included her parents, Bart and Diane Bevins, The Bevins Trust, Doc Evans and her professors, fellow students, intern supervisors and others at the University of Missouri veterinary program.

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"May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds."

Bill ;-)

Texicanwife review posted on Amazon.com

Review of "The Homeplace Revisited" posted at Amazon.com:

 A Good Read, July 10, 2011

By 

Cyndi Beane Henry "Texicanwife"

This review is from: The Homeplace Revisited (Paperback)

The second book in the "Homeplace" series, I found the story intriguing. However, in comparison with the first book in the series, "Back to the Homeplace", I found it a bit more difficult to follow.


Smith brings characters to life easily enough, but tends to get more technical in the day-to-day job descriptions each character takes upon himself. Perhaps a little less of the job descriptions and a little more in the character build is called for.


Nonetheless, the story, as I have stated, is intriguing and pulls you along to find out what will happen around each bend and twist of the family's lives.


I did find editing to be lacking somewhat, when compared to his previous work. There were not only spelling, but grammatical errors in places.


And I was not impressed with the abrupt ending to the story, although it does leave one feeling like the old cliff-hanger movies of the '50's once did! You can't wait for the next in the series to come out to find out what will happen within the family Bevins next!


All in all, I give The Homeplace Revisited three stars and my Thumbs Up Award!


I highly recommend reading both Back to the Homeplace and The Homeplace Revisited.
Both books are suitable for readers of all ages.

****DISCLOSURE: A copy of this book was provided by the author for unbiased review.

Review of "Back to the Homeplace" - take a look

Review of "Back to the Homeplace" - take a look

[5 star rating review posted at Barnes & Noble.com; Back to the Homeplace

kittycrochettwo - WV Stitcher - http://kittycrochettwo.blogspot.com/]

This book shouldn't be missed!

Back to the Homeplace is a story of families and the ties that bind them together, and the lengths the matriarchs of the Bevins family went to in order to preserve the Homeplace! Upon the death of Mildred Bevins, the family was shocked to find the terms of the will that she and her husband Frank had devised fifteen years earlier. Their will stated that four Bevin's children had to live for two years on the homeplace, with each of the children being assigned 80 acres to manage and maintain, and at the end of the two years, if the minimum requirements set forth in the will aren't met then the Homeplace will be donated to the State University. Will the Bevin's children be able to work together and meet the terms of the will, or will they lose it? Each of the Bevin's siblings have their own set of problems that they bring with them. Bart had given up his job in real estate when his father Frank died, and he had always assumed that the farm would someday be his. Peter has always been a loner, but he has some secrets from his past that will surprise some, and jeopardize the lives of others.Karen and her husband Jason, moved from Arizona to fulfill the terms of the will, while things seem OK on the surface, they have problems back in Arizona that worry Jason. Beverly the youngest seems to really resent being forced to come back home. While her husband Paul and their two children Scott and Heather seem to thrive at the Homeplace, Beverly isn't happy and doesn't mind telling anyone that will listen. Sheila, Paul's daughter from a previous marriage has also come to the Ozarks, she makes poor choices that in the end not only affect her but others that have come in contact with her. The author does an amazing story of bringing these characters to life, you can easily see why Frank and Mildred wanted to keep the homeplace intact, it had been in Mildred's family since 1833, and was a legacy to be passed down, I think the plan wasn't only to preserve the land, but also to bring the Bevin's children back together. The characters seem very down to earth and real, with problems that we all face, I found it interesting that a few were addicted to Diet Coke, and would make trips to Walmart to purchase it, for me it doesn't get any more real than that! The descriptions of the birds, landscape and the Homestead in general were so vivid that it is easy to visualize it, and at one point when the author describes a vee of Canadian Geese flying overhead, I could just imagine hearing them honk. The author opens most of the chapters with a brief bits of actual news from 1987, really taking me back in time, a true trip down memory lane. A book that gives a true glimpse of how situations can cause some family members to draw together while others pull away. A story with several unexpected developments and a shocking twist near the end left me anxious to read the next book in this series titled The Homeplace Revisited due out in the late spring of 2011. Even though I was provided a copy of this book for review it in no way alters my opinion of this book.

A message for those who have already read The Homeplace Series books

A message for those who have already read The Homeplace Series books

This is a message for those who have already read either of the books in 'The Homeplace Series' - "Back to the Homeplace" and/or "The Homeplace Revisited." As promised in the epilogue of the latter book, you are now invited to participate in the future of this series. Working with Annette Lamb (eduscapes.com), we have created something new; that we would like to invite you to participate in with us:

The Homeplace Saga: Beyond the Books

This is a learning and collaborative joint-venture environment where you are encouraged to add your creative interests and talents, whatever that might be.

As this is July 2010, and the experiment is just beginning, let me introduce you to the first three sections for "Beyond the Books."

• Read: About this Wiki - some background, some instructions, some ideas, some procedures as to how to proceed.
• Look at Character Files - Each of the major characters are listed (as of 1996); their pages are not yet filled out, but you can be a part of this fun, if you wish.
• Check out the Town Directory - a full directory of Oak Springs businesses and locations - more even then are in the books (as of 1996) - how about writing up a story of one of these businesses? Perhaps a history? Create new characters around this business? Write a story set at one of these businesses with your characters? The possibilities are endless. NOTE: I'll bet you thought of some of these things as your were reading the book. Now is your chance to create them and tell a story about them! Go check it out.

If you would like to discuss this more, before 'jumping in' we have also created The Homeplace Series Book Club at the Reader's Inn website; including a good discussion area where I've already started a discussion. [This is also a free sign-in site, but you do need to sign-in with a user name and password to enter discusssions. Use the same one as the wiki, for best results. Write them down, so you don't forget them.]

NOTE: A part of this whole experience is that you can come at "Beyond the Books" from many different directions. On the wiki, read Annette's articles about 'transmedia storytelling' - it is the wave of the future. 


P.S. J.K.Rowlings and Sony just recently announced POTTERMORE which is, perhaps, the first advanced adventure of this kind. [Check this story here and here] 

We won't have this much, online games, etc., but we can work at our own level, with our talents, here and now. Come join us!  ;-)

Kindle Author interview on 'The Homeplace Revisited'

Kindle Author interview on 'The Homeplace Revisited'

A nice interview of the author was posted today on the Kindle Author site for 'The Homeplace Revisited' by William Leverne Smith. Please do read it, and, while you are there, you may want to sign up to follow, because there will be other postings you may want to read. We all need to help each other, don't we!  ;-)

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"May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds."

Bill ;-)

Kindle and Print edition of 'The Homeplace Revisited' on same page

Good news: Amazon.com now has Print Edition and Kindle Edition of 'The Homeplace Revisited' on the same page... they have both been there, a while, but on separate pages.

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"May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds."

Bill ;-)

Book Review at READER'S INN

Book Review at READER'S INN

[Click on THE SHELF, top navigation bar, then on Book Reviews]

Book Reviews

Back to the Homeplace

Written by Cheryl | June 10 2011 

Back to the Homestead Place by William Leverne Smith (ISBN: 978-1451560404 , CreateSpace March 25, 2010)

This book is an engaging drama, set in 1987, about a family of siblings who begin to learn about the unexpected and complex terms of their parents’ will, regarding the family farm, “The Homeplace”.   The initial term of the will that was disclosed to the siblings, required them to return to the Missouri Ozarks and live on the farm for a period of two years.   Each family was given stewardship over eighty acres.  This directive sets into motion different circumstances for each sibling and their families.   One family lived on the farm and had managed the farm for their aging parents.  The other siblings moved back home, with their families, after being gone for a number of years.  They each had their reasons to leave and, more importantly, reasons to return.  The remaining terms of the will was eventually disclosed to the siblings.  How each family member chooses to deal with the terms of the will and the relationships between the various family members, as well as, the other trustees, forms the basis for the plot.

I was intrigued with the characters throughout the story.  They must deal with joys and tragedies, successes and disappointments that all families face.   News clips are quoted at the beginning of each chapter to remind the reader of external pressures and cultural influences from 1987.  What stood out to me was how the characters bore the internal and external pressures admirably.  Most accepted the major changes in their lives and cooperated with each other for the greater good.  There were several tragedies in the book that could have defined this family differently.   While religion was not explicitly included in the book, the religious undertone of forgiveness was woven throughout the book.   This book was interesting and engaging and a joy to read.  I look forward to reading future books from this author.

Rated 4 on 5 point scale

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"May each of us have a Homeplace to hold onto, if only in our minds."

Bill ;-)