Do you collect dolls? Have you had a fear about the Kudzu vine? Are you looking for a children’s book to purchase as a gift?
Author Deborah Bowden has books for all of that.
Bowden’s three novels: “Little Lestoil Ladies: The Cream of Premium Dolls and How to Identify Them,” “Kudzu! Beyond Control” and “The Adventures of Mr. Bramble Bones and Grimmy: The Case of the Missing Blue Blanket” can be found online, with some copies available at the Fallen Leaf Bookstore in Nashville.
From a children’s story about a worried black kitten who has lost his blanket, to an adult horror story about a Kudzu vine that takes gruesome revenge, Bowden writes about a wide variety of topics for different kinds of readers.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Bowden, a retired English and science teacher, began visiting Brown County in 1970. Some Brown County friends at Ball State University “shanghaied” her here.
“I fell in love and came here all summer, every vacation and most weekends,” she said.
She married here, raised her daughter here and plans to be buried here. “This is home,” she said.
Q: What are the books about?
A: “Little Lestoil Ladies: The Cream of Premium Dolls and How to Identify Them” (is about) dolls (that) captured little girls’ hearts across nations from 1954 through 1962. Adell Chemical Company sold these top-quality premiums for $1 and a Lestoil label. (The book is) endorsed by the Barowsky family — owners of the company. (It is) filled with full-color photographs of every doll made, information and history. This book is a comprehensive, detailed guide for doll collectors and advertising enthusiasts.
“Kudzu! Beyond Control” is written by Rosemary Coven AKA Deborah Bowden. The Kudzu vine has a mind of its own and takes its gruesome revenge. Horror has a new name: Kudzu! It is for adults only.
Finally, “The Adventures of Mr. Bramble Bones and Grimmy: The Case of the Missing Blue Blanket” is for ages 6 through 9. It is the fourth in a series. Grimmy’s blue blanket is extra special to him. It’s the first thing he ever owned and it was a present from Daddy Bones. It has little kittens on it just like him. Now it’s missing. How can he take naps?
Q: What inspired you to write them?
A: (Little Lestoil Ladies): When I was 8, I fell in love with the dolls, but my mother didn’t use Lestoil and I didn’t get an allowance. I went door to door begging for labels and odd jobs to earn the money for each doll. I was able to purchase 15 dolls before the promotion was over. I especially wanted Miss India, but the company which bought the Adell Chemical Company didn’t send her to me even after two tries. I promised myself at that young age that someday I’d own all the dolls. As I acquired them over the years, the rags-to-riches tale of the immigrant family from Russia who built the company and was saved from bankruptcy by these dolls inspired me to research and contact the family for permission to write their story. I am proud that they gave me exclusive rights and allowed me into their lives.
(Kudzu! Beyond Control): My family, looking for work, moved north from Hartford, Kentucky, when I was 5, but we returned each year to my grandfather’s house to visit. At that time, there were no interstate highways, just two-lane roads winding through the countryside. Each year we watched kudzu encroach on more and more acreage. It swallowed homes, farms and forests. I often envisioned that the plant was deliberate in its attack, leaving bodies encased within its leafy vines. Such was the stuff of my nightmares.
(The Case of the Missing Blue Blanket): I began the series because when my daughter was little. She was afraid of Halloween skeletons. I created a grandfatherly Mr. Bramble Bones who was not scary. Grimmy was a kitten at the time and seemed a natural to be his sidekick. I chose a black cat because often they are overlooked as potential lovable pets and because our Grimmy was black. He’s 9 now and 15 pounds of long-haired love. Each story holds hidden themes and this one is no exception. In this case, no one asked Grimmy’s permission to take his blanket. Losing something special can be traumatizing at any age.
Q: Have you written any other books?
A: “Mr. Bramble Bones and Grimmy Share a Home,” “Mr. Bramble Bones and Grimmy Clean Up,” “Mr. Bramble Bones Is Too Cold to Play,” “The Sack Lunch,” “Felicia Tales: The Many Misadventures of Felicia Brown,” “Pat and Little Pat: A Slightly Unconventional Cookbook by a Dad and Daughter,” “Dandelions and Other Weeds” and “Daylilies and Nightshades.”
There are six Mr. Bones books waiting to be illustrated, and a new, five-book series “Horus the Misunderstood Buzzard and Friends” is also waiting for illustrations. I’m currently working on my next horror novel, which hopefully will be published next year also.
Q: Where can people buy the books, and for how much?
A: Many can be found on Amazon. “Little Lestoil Ladies” costs $34.99. All of the Bramble Bones books cost $12.95 each. “Kudzu” costs $15.99 for paperback and $4.99 for Kindle.
“The Sack Lunch” is $9.95 for paperback and $3.99 for a Kindle version. “Dandelions and Other Weeds” is $14.95 for paperback and $3.99 for Kindle. “Felicia Tales” is on ebooks-online.com. My discontinued Bramble Bones book is there also. A few of my books are still available at The Fallen Leaf in town or can be ordered directly from me by emailing [email protected].
