Laughter from the Hills is the third book written by popular West Virginia newspaper columnist, Alyce Faye Bragg. Mrs. Bragg, who has many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, is a keen and honest observer of family and nature in the hills of West Virginia.
Often her observations are funny, but unaffected and down-to-earth. Easygoing, she and her family can laugh at themselves as much as anything. This comes in handy when an account of an embarrassing moment appears in the newspaper or one of her books!
But she can't help writing about them; Bragg is a born storyteller. And behind that storytelling ability is her tendency to count her blessings. She thanks God for her beautiful surroundings, the seasons, simple pleasures, friends and family.
Bragg writes: "Grandchildren and grandparents are made for each other. By the time most of us have grandchildren, we also have the time to slow our steps to match those of a child; to wait while the little one examines a busy anthill; or to go search for the last few ripe raspberries. Young grandchildren think their grandparents are perfect, and we know the grandchildren are."
Mrs. Bragg says that she likes to read things which make her feel good when she's finished, so she tries to write that way, also. Bragg's humor and warmth evidently extend to both her writing and her home. A friend of Bragg's wrote the following to The Charleston Gazette:
"I know for a fact that the life she lives is as true as the words in her articles. In my heart, mind, and soul there is nothing that can replace those cool, crisp mornings at Alyce Faye's home with a fresh pan of buttermilk biscuits, gravy and bacon on the table. Her heart and home are always open. Alyce Faye's articles do something to the mind and spirit."
About the author:
The oldest of seven children; born on Big Laurel Creek in Clay County, West Virginia in 1935. Mother of six children; grandmother of 22, and great-grandmother of 23.
Born and raised in the country, and still lives on the same farm where she was raised. Has a sincere love for nature and the beauty of the hills.
She began writing in 1981 for a county newspaper, "The Clay County Free Press"; started writing for a state paper, "The Charleston Gazette," in 1991. Has three books published, "This Holler is my Home," "Homesick for the Hills" and "Laughter from the Hills."
"I love to write, and my main desire is to describe things in such a way that the reader can see it too. God has given me a talent for description, and permitted me to live in a part of the country where there is a wealth of natural beauty. Also, He has blessed us with a huge family where there is always something happening!"
