A Season for Grace Countdown Week Post #6

 

In case you were wondering where Stacy got her inspiration for the Minnie Pickering character in her Briar Creek Love books, this guest post by our mother solves that mystery!

The Marvelous Mrs. Minnie Pickering

by Betty Tsakonas

        Aunt Minnie loved to wear hats!

My Aunt Minnie was the oldest of four daughters born to Elizabeth and Whitfield Stephenson in Belden, Mississippi. With her flamboyant style and outgoing personality, she stood out from her sisters, Madie (my paternal grandmother), Sadie, and Maude. She also had three brothers (whom she probably just tolerated) -- Hugh, Vance, and Roy. 

Aunt Minnie moved to Memphis and worked in a millinery shop where she designed and sold hats. She met and married Orville J. (“Pick”) Pickering, who whisked her away to live in Santa Monica, California (a fitting location for such a glamorous lady!). Each year at Christmas, Aunt Minnie mailed us a huge box filled with interesting items you couldn’t find in any shop in my hometown of Tupelo, Mississippi. 

As children, my sister Barbara and I were fascinated by the feather boas and glittery jewelry she sent. We had only seen things like these in the movies! Barbara and I treasured these trinkets and loved to play dress-up with them. And we still enjoyed playing dress-up many years later, as shown below in a photo from Beth's wedding.

      Dressing up for a photo booth in 2013. Aunt Minnie would be proud!

After Uncle Pick passed away in 1947, Aunt Minnie moved to Belden to live with her brothers Roy and Hugh. She showed her quirky personality by playing a harmonica at night whenever one of her brothers snored. (I’m sure that went over well with them!) 

Because space was tight in her brothers’ house, Aunt Minnie asked my mother to take care of her parrot Pedro at our home. Mother kept him for six years and liked to drive around town with the bright green parrot on her shoulder.

This story (among others) inspired Stacy to create a character based on Aunt Minnie. I’m so proud of Stacy for fulfilling her dream of becoming a published author, and of Beth for finishing Stacy’s final book. The Lord truly blessed me with two wonderful daughters, and I hope readers enjoy their work in A Season for Grace.

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You can still buy the ebook version of A Season for Grace for the preorder price of $2.99. Be sure to claim your preorder gift by filling out the form on the publisher’s website. Just have your Amazon order number handy. If you prefer the paperback version, it will be available on August 20th.