By Hannah Curran, Editor
LEEDS — A native Alabamian, Ramey Channell spent her childhood in the deep and enchanted woods surrounding her rural home in Leeds, and those memories inspired her to begin writing her books.
Channell was born and raised in Leeds, graduated from Leeds High School, lived in Leeds most of my life, and retired a few years ago from working at Leeds Jane Culbreth Library.
She’s a published author, poet, book illustrator, and artist. Her most recent published book, The Treasure of Moonlight Ridge, is the third book in the Moonlight Ridge series.
These stories may appear to be complete fiction, but some truths are hidden in the words because Channell loosely based these stories on her childhood experiences in Leeds.
However, she didn’t initially set out to write the stories; this started as a class assignment that grew into a mesmerizing book series that will leave you on the edge of your seat with each page.
“When I first started the series, I intended to make it like the Bobbsey Twins Novel Series; as a child, it was one of my favorite books,” Channell said. “So that kind of inspired me I wanted to write a ‘Bobbsey Twins’ series about Alabama about the children of Alabama.”
The series follows the life of a 1950s-era, multi-ethnic hillbilly family and community in Alabama.
The stories are told from the point of view of the fearless and articulate 9-year-old Lily Claire Nash, who is accompanied in her woodland adventures by the wild and wily Willie T. Nock, her 9-year-old cousin and best friend.
These characters are exceptionally well developed, and the reader becomes enchanted by their stories.
“The way the characters are presented appeals to most people, and they identify with the stories from their childhood,” Channell said. “A lot of people, especially in Alabama, say ‘this reminds me of my childhood,’ because I put a few historical facts and things like commercials from the 1950s and jingles that we heard on the radio.”
However, it’s not just the historical elements of the stories that people can identify with.
“There’s a bit of paranormal because there were always mysterious things going on,” Channell said. “The children just accept any mystery or any paranormal event as part of their everyday lives. There’s just something that appeals to everybody because of the historical elements of the backwoods of Alabama.”
Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge is the first book in the series. Set in 1950s rural Alabama in a fictional town called Eden, Alabama, this story is full of laughs, adventure, mystery, and a touch of supernatural. The main characters, Lily Claire and Willie T., are eight-year-old cousins who explore the woods around their home on Moonlight Ridge and come to the rescue when members of their family and community find themselves involved in a dilemma.
This book opens a window into an environment where people fit into their natural place on the earth.
“This is how I grew up,” Channell said. “People, wildlife, domestic animals, cats, dogs, and of course, possums all inhabit the same plane. It’s a closeness that defines and informs our entire way of life and development, from birth to the final return to nature at death. It’s a delightful place of constant revelation and discovery, with no infrequent mysteries and contradictions.”
The Witches of Moonlight Ridge, the second book in the series, follows the adventures of two will-o-the-wisp children, Lily Claire and Willie T, accompanied by their eccentric fourth-grade teacher, Erskine Batson, in the backwoods of 1950s Alabama. Ghosts, scary tales around the evening fire, hauntings, witches, and famous legends, weave a story of mystery, romance, and tragedy.
This book is a rollicking, funny, spooky look at a slice of life in the South through the eyes of an extraordinary character.
The Treasure of Moonlight Ridge, the third book in the series, was published in November 2021. When winter weather on the mountain went from unusually cold to undeniable arctic, a stranger appeared at the back door. Lily Claire and Willie T. find themselves knee-deep in circumstances beyond anything they’d ever imagined. Then a mysterious message from long ago brings added intrigue and danger. Kidnappers, secret code messages, hidden treasure, and a rock-and-roll celebrity all contribute to a surprising Christmas season on Moonlight Ridge.
“It’s about family life,” Channell said. “Adventures and trouble that people get into in the 1950s, and I believe this was just to entertain people that people would enjoy reading about Alabama children and Alabama families.”
Her award-winning poetry and stories have appeared in many journals and collections, including Ordinary & Sacred as Blood: Alabama Women Speak, Belles’ Letters 2, and Stormy Pieces: a Mobile Writers Guild Anthology. In addition, Channel’s picture book, Mice from the Planet Zimlac, is for children ages 2 to 6 years and adults of all ages.
All of Channell’s books can be found on the Amazon Book Store. Her last and fourth book in the Moonlight Ridge Series will be released in the Spring of 2023.