I Am Gobsmacked

Truly, I am.

Gobsmacked, that is.

I just read a recent review on amazon about my latest book, "Bensy and Me". 

The lady who wrote it is a great writer herself. Her poetry will bring you to your knees.

She taught creative writing as her profession before she retired a few years ago.

On top of everything else, she's a hoot.

It's hard for me to brag about my own work, in fact, it's even hard for me to try and sell my own work. I'd never make a living as a salesman of any kind. It's just darned embarrassing.

However; this is something even I want to shout from the rooftops. Not only because of what was said, but who said it.

So, here goes:

Lucy Harris here. I struggle to do justice to this wonderful masterwork of Southern humor. I have been reading daily since I was six years old - I am now sixty-five, and for most of my reading years I have clearly understood how difficult it is for a book to shake loose a deep belly-laugh. In my vast reading experience, only a few have succeeded though many have tried. Yet, Bensy and Me has at least one big laugh and sometimes many more per page. I know because I put a check mark on each page which contained at least one. I giggled as I read the author's note in the front, and then as directed, turned to Uncle Wend's Dictionary in the back - been laughing ever since. This is the only book I have ever read slowly because I wanted to savor the surprise and delight. I would not allow myself to read more than a few pages a day. I kept thinking, "This can't go on," but it does. From first page to last, it is purely filled with light, not to mention small town love, wisdom, and plain old-fashioned good, clean living. The cast of characters spans a country mile but centers on the reflections of a man who many call Charlie as he is thinking, "I hate being called Charlie," through the regular ups and downs of being the proud father of six children, four of whom are delivered as quadruplets at the beginning of the story. How Ms. Harper squeezed so many twists and turns and so much laughter out of plain old life is a hilarious mystery to me (which often involves cows, hair salons, Christmas - I could go on), but I am so glad she did; and if you have any sense at all, you’ll get a copy and find out what I mean.

Thank you, dear, sweet woman. Thank you.