"Trouble Came with the Moonshine" by Phyliss Grady Adcock

–getting into the spirits of it all

Living above the pool hall was just one fire drill after another for this family’s children.

Author’s Talk

Phyliss Grady Adcock

Writers are born literary sponges. They soak up all the colorful characters and memorable experiences along life’s journey. They are compelled to share all these and the many emotions that were triggered. I am blessed to be one of those sponges. 

My Southern family provides lots of material because of all the misfits and heroes. My first attempt to write about my family was published in That Southern Thing. My second story, “Trouble Came With the Moonshine,” is another great example of this inspiration. My grandfather is the misfit, and his wife and four children are the heroes. My mother’s childhood was exciting, scary, and filled with opportunities to learn a lot of life lessons. I hope you will be able to picture the pool room and its patrons and feel all the emotions the cast of characters experienced. You may even be able to smell the moonshine and feel the heat of the fire! 

My story," Kneeling for Amanda", in the Luck and Opportunity anthology was drawn from another rich source of material, my classrooms of 34 years in public education. Thirty children in one room for eight hours a day is a rich breeding ground for stories worth writing about. They have no filters, and you learn lots of family secrets. The future bullies, comedians, beauty queens, convicts, and presidents begin to emerge! No one could make these things up. 

You too can also be a sponge if you just take the time to truly look and listen to the world around you and then write it down for others to enjoy.