Let Your Country Out

As many of you know, I recently started listening to the music of a brand new country star named Jessie Lee Cates.  Now, my dad, my sister, and I are all huge country music fans (my mom’s a Yankee, so she tolerates it).  We listen to it all the time, especially when it’s cold out and we’re dreaming of summer days full of blue skies, road trips, and wildflowers.  We love Sugarland, Roger Creager, Lady Antebellum, Clay Walker, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Eli Young Band, Josh Abbott Band, Toby Keith, and let me tell you, Jessie Lee Cates is right up there with the best of the best.  

Her voice is pure and clear, her music classic and catchy with a delightful country beat.  Of course, I’m still quite partial to Scotland, as it is one of my absolute favorite places in the world and my own ancestors’ homeland, but the rest of Jessie Lee’s debut album is just as fun, delightful, and frankly, good, old fashioned, high quality country music.       

 

I’ve had the distinct privilege of connecting with Miss Cates over Twitter and Facebook, and she is just about as sweet and classy as it gets.  She read the first blog post I wrote about her music, https://jackiesmith114.wordpress.com/2014/01/15/best-song-ever/, and contacted me to say that she wanted to make me her fan of the month!  

 

I also received a copy of her CD, a super cute T-Shirt that will look GREAT with jeans and my cowboy boots, and an autographed photo which I can’t wait to hang in my office alongside my autographed Switchfoot poster.  

 

 

 

I’ve been following the news on her website, JessieLeeCates.com, Jessie Lee is a current bestseller in contemporary country on Amazon, her single Scotland (my favorite) is #4 on the charts in Europe, and there is a Scotland music video in the works!  I can’t wait to see it!  Scotland is just such a special place to me (as I think I’ve mentioned several times) and I think the video will be awesome.  

I’m always so thrilled to find new music to listen to, and I especially love being able to connect with a new artist whose work I genuinely respect and enjoy and whom I can hopefully help out (not that she really needs my help… she’s definitely doing just fine on her own!) by spreading the word about their craft, be it music, books, art, or script.  If you like country music and/or strong female vocalists, I hope you stop by Jessie Lee’s website.  Her music is definitely worth a listen!  

Next up on A Platform of Sorts: A Review of Seance by Tinsley Collins and How Target Ruined my Life by Not Having the Third Percy Jackson book in stock.   

 

The Sugary-Sherburts

Something I like to do as a semi-active blogger is to scroll through tags that interest me, Books, Authors, Reviews, etc… If I find a blog that I like, I’ll follow.  About a month back, I was scrolling the Author tag and happened across the blog of Miss Heather Ellis (http://heatherellisbooks.wordpress.com).  She is a young author from England and she’s just published her third short story book for kids, The Sugary Sherburts and the Stone Witch.  As it turns out, Heather is a kid herself, just ten years old.

How cool is that?  I mean, seriously?  To be a published author of not one, but THREE books at ten years old?  Want me to tell you what I was doing when I was ten?  I was either running around the house, throwing my Beanie Babies across the floor so that I could pretend to save them from “tornadoes,” or dressing up like the Spice Girls and singing “Wannabe” at the top of my lungs.  That was the kind of kid I was.  

Anyway, I told Heather that I would love to read one of her books, and after a long month of waiting, the Sugary Shuerburts finally arrived in Texas!  

This is a picture that Heather sent me… the Sugary Sherburts about to begin their journey across the pond!

And this is shortly after their arrival in Texas! Note: This is the package, not the actual book cover. I just love the drawing!

I just had to take a picture of the postage stamp. Europe is so cool.

 Anyway, this is the actual book!  

 Again, how cool is this?!

I showed the book to my sister (who also plans to read and review), and she said, “That’s so cool!  It reminds me of Matilda!”  Well, it just so happens that on the back of the book, Heather lists Roald Dahl as one of her influences!  Such a great author and such a good story (my sister is a HUGE fan of the new musical adaptation).  

This is me and the Sugary Sherburts!

I’m so excited to read not only The Stone Witch, but Heather’s other books as well.  You can find a list of them here at her Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Heather-Ellis/e/B00CWB21BQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1388696143&sr=8-1 

You can also find Heather on Twitter: heatherellisbks

And on GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19396808-the-sugary-sherburts-and-the-stone-witch 

Stop by and check her out!  This kid is going places!