Fans of memoirs are going to be excited about this week’s story behind the story. But before we get on with what inspired Sheila Ingle to write this book, let’s hear a little more about it.

Sheila Ingle’s husband John was brought up in Ingle Holler in Union, South Carolina, with eight other Ingle families. They worked together in the mills; shared their gardens; attended church; and enjoyed the playing and singing of the songs from the Grand Ole Opry. When five of the brothers went off to war, those who couldn’t fight took care of their families. The Ingles stuck together, just like they were taught in the Appalachian hills of Erwin, Tennessee.

Love of God, love of family, and love of country were modelled in each home. In fact, one year Make Ingle put his sons and grandsons together to build Hillside Baptist Church. Adults kept up with events in the world by the newspapers and the old battery powered radios; world happenings were important. Any type of sickness brought a barrage of soup and cornbread, because children still had to eat.

On those twenty acres, the children played in the creek, cowboys and Indians, and hide-and-seek. They built their own wagons and sleds to race down the hill on the dry, hickory leaves. All the boys learned to shoot a .22 caliber rifle, and John’s mother Lois could light a match with her shots.

Living in Ingle Holler was home, where each one was accepted.

So, Sheila, why did you decide to write this book?

Forty years ago, I met my husband, John Ingle. We immediately clicked. He asked me to lunch the next week, then for dinner on Saturday. And from that point on, I couldn’t keep him off my doorstep. A whirlwind of talks, walks, coffee, dinner-and-a movie, and long telephone conversations until the wee hours of each morning covered our days. (And, yes, we both had to be at work by [8:00]!)

Two months later, we were engaged, and eight months later we married.

One of our differences is our upbringings. John grew up in a house built by his father; both his parents worked in a mill. His extended family of uncles, aunts, and cousins were his neighbors in Ingle Holler, and it was the cotton mill whistle, not the sun, that governed their lives. This Appalachian family was close-knit, self-sufficient, and hard-working.

As an engaged couple, John took me to meet his friendly kin.

Jenny Belle, John’s aunt, and husband Kyle Yeary welcomed us with open arms to their four- room home that now had indoor plumbing. Her piano set in a place of honor; the talented pianist, who was self-taught, played hymns for us and served coffee. Doilies, or scarves as she called them, covered the tops of chairs and tables. Jenny had crocheted each one. It was at her house that the clan gathered on Saturday nights for singing, playing, and picking.

We visited Annie Mae next; she had run a boarding house for mill workers in town. Besides being an excellent cook, she mothered the young men who stayed with her. She entertained us with stories of her lodgers, as we inhaled a large piece of her freshly-baked coconut cake. Laughing as she talked, our intended short visit became one where we truly did “set a spell,” as she first invited us to do.

At family reunions through the years, I met the others. John continued to regale me with stories of his upbringing and the influence of his relatives. Appalachian sayings and dialect would sprinkle his storytelling. When he and his three brothers would get together at our house for Christmas, I would hear more fascinating stories of a family and a culture unknown to me..

Finally, I was compelled to start writing a memoir of eight of the Ingle women; these short stories became Tales of a Cosmic Possum: From the Appalachian Mountains to the Cotton Mills. Interviewing his last living aunt, his brother, and various cousins, as well as taking notes this time when John would share another story became a daily part of our lives.

There are no working cotton mills in Upstate South Carolina anymore; that lifestyle is now a part of history. Little has been salvaged from the buildings; most have fallen down or been burned by vandals. A few have become condos or small businesses.

But the stories live on through books or the retelling when families gather. Each time I speak to a group, I encourage others to tell the stories about their families. That’s how I learned about John’s family and my own, and I wouldn’t trade those “tales” for anything.

A graduate of Converse College with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Sheila Ingle is a lifelong resident of S.C.

Her published books, Courageous Kate, Fearless Martha, Brave Elizabeth, and Walking with Eliza focus on the bravery of Patriot women living in Revolutionary War South Carolina. Tales of a Cosmic Possum, not only shares Ingle family history, but also South Carolina and cotton mill history.

Serving on the board for eight years of Children’s Security Blanket (a 501c3 organization that serves families that have children with cancer), she is the Board Chairman. She is also a member of Chapter D PEO, where she served as vice president and chaplain; Circle 555(a local women’s giving group), where she has served on the grant committee; and a board member of Spartanburg County Historical Association, serving on the Walnut Grove Committee.

Married for thirty-eight years to John Ingle, they have one son Scott. Besides being avid readers, the South Carolina beaches are their favorite spots for vacations.

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Sheila is giving away a copy of Tales of a Cosmic Possum. Follow the directions below to enter.

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Thanks for joining us, Sheila!