Moonshine Corner

At the Rocky Mount Library’s “Mountain Spirits Series” on Oct. 4 from 8:30 AM until noon, many non-fiction books will be about regional and local history. One work of fiction, however, contains plenty of history.

Ibby Greer’s new paranormal novel, Moonshine Corner: Keys to Rocky Mount (Createspace, August 2014, 330 pages), is loaded with Franklin County history from the 1860s, 1880s, and 1930s. When former art teacher Lacey Brew moves to Rocky Mount and begins work at a real estate company, the keys she’s given to unlock houses unlock many events that happened in Rocky Mount’s past. As a newcomer puzzled by what’s she’s seeing as she moves back and forth from past to present, Lacy resolves to learn about the town’s history. And she does. As she reads, some of the area’s history is explained to the reader. Because Lacy is also interested in art, the names of many local painters are mentioned.

Playing a “key” part in the story are many local places—The Grove (where Greer lived for two decades), the Harvester Performance Center, Fort Hill, the post office with its mural, the historical society, and several local businesses. Many real local residents—both living and dead—are characters in the book, although names of several living residents have been changed.

Here’s a sample page that shows the books local flavor: 

If you’re a local, you will recognize many local references, and you might have fun guessing which characters are real people. If you aren’t from around here, this book might give you ideas of places to visit and events to learn more about. 

Ibby Greer will be with a dozen other authors in the upstairs meeting room. Stop by and visit with her. She's a wealth of local information.

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