How Communities Came Into Existence

The Journey
Press Release Author: Frances Bennett / Bookstand Publishing
Industry: Media
Press Release Summary: The Journey is a historical fiction
novel that describes a way of life for settlers that few of us can gather in. Read about 1899 Americana History, a story of homesteading, conquering a wilderness, and naming a community in order to receive mail. Read excerpts and place an order at http://www.francesbennett.blogspot.com/ http://www.bookstandpublishing.com/m/francesbennett
Reviews at http://www.amazon.com/. Press Release Body: The Journey ISBN: 978-1-58909-454-3
Contact Details: Frances Bennett 1359 Hwy. 3121 Spearsville, LA 71277 phone: 318 7783896
E-mail; francesbennett7@gmail.com. Frances Bennett never dreamed that the articles she began writing for a Union Parish, Louisiana paper in 2004 would lead the way to a book publisher. For the weekly article, she searched her memory and wrote of nostalgic things such as school days in the 40’s, and how things were done when two grades occupied the same room in the little sawmill town of Urbana, Arkansas. But Bennett soon realized that her memories wouldn’t sustain the column for long, so she began a serialized story from her mother’s bible records and things her maternal grandmother told as they sat in front of a crackling fire on cold winter nights. As a nine year old, Bennett tucked it away in her heart and relived it all before she fell asleep.
The continued story was an instant success, and through questions to Bennett and her editor as to whether she was writing a book, the seed was planted. From this came, The Journey.
The story begins in 1899 when newly weds, Lona and Charlie Stegall, along with two of Charlie’s brothers, leave North Carolina on a wagon train headed for Union County, Arkansas, where another brother has settled. They cross rivers and bury the dead to finally arrive at their destination. Frighteningly beautiful descriptions of happenings fill the pages of The Journey during Lona and Charlie’s lifetime on a homestead that was carved from a wilderness.
Frances Bennett is an artist and a Christian writer. She is the mother of four with six grandchildren and one great grandchild. In 1951, Frances rode with a friend to attend a gospel meeting at the Antioch Church of Christ near Spearsville, Louisiana. She met her future husband, Billy Bennett, at the Sunday morning service. At that time, the white church building on a hill was made from lumber and the church dinners were held underneath shade trees. Billy and Frances married in June of 1952, and still live on the farm they bought in 1954. They worship on that same hill, only now, from their home they look across fields and see a red brick church.
Frances writes a column for a local parish paper. The Journey was her serialized column at one time, and begins with the story of her maternal grandparents wagon train migration as newly weds in 1899 from North Carolina to homestead in Union County, Arkansas. She used childhood memories of conversations at dusky dark as a tightly rolled rag smoked to keep mosquitoes at bay, things her grandmother told, and her mother’s bible records to spin the historical fiction column. It was an instant success, and through positive feedback and questions as to whether she was writing a book, the seed was planted. From this came The Journey.
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