As the Crow Flies

  Sleeping on the Ground   When you sleep on the ground With the stars in your face, You can feel the full-length Of the beauty and grace. -Dan Fogelberg  “The Wild Places”   I’ve just spent the last two nights sleeping on the ground under the stars. One night was on a bicycle trip on the Tammany Trace Trail. …

Leaders Eat Last You can listen to the podcast episode of “Leaders Eat Last”  at our The Quiet Leader Podcast Thoughts on Servant-Leadership   “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45 I’ve recently discovered a fascinating book, Leaders Eat Last by …

  Escalators Part 3: Once you get on the steepest escalator under Boston, don’t look back. It may disorient you and cause you to stumble. The way is always forward. Keep moving forward and upward. Life lesson: Always look forward in your life. The path is always up. Moving, Curt Iles You can read Parts 1 and 2 of “Escalators” …

It’s Christmas and time to help you with stock stuffers and difficult gifts. We are offering five of our Creekbank books for sale during Christmas. Each book is for sale at a discount of $10 per book and to encourage multiple purchases, there is a total shipping fee of $5 regardless of purchase size. Each book is personally autographed. You …

Listen to an Audible audiobook free sample of As the Crow Flies. A Time to Read   There have been so many challenges and opportunities during this time of uncertainty. I’m reminded of a quote in The Art of War by Sun Tzu, “In the midst of chaos, there is an opportunity.” Webster’s defines opportunity as a “good chance for …

For the first time, one of our novels, As the Crow Flies, is on Amazon’s Audible platform. It is professionally narrated by actress Whitney Ann Jenkins and listeners are falling in love with her bringing Missouri Cotton to life. Here is information for your listen to As the Crow Flies: You can listen to the first three chapters free. If you’re …

A word from Curt It’s one of my favorite fancy words: juxtaposition. It’s really a simple word with a short definition: It’s “comparing and contrasting two or more items.” In this week’s Creekbank Storyletter, I’d like to share about three juxtaposed places. Africa.  A week from today, my wife DeDe, sister Colleen, team leaders David and Renee Crane, and others …

Today is Journey # 1351 at www.creekbank.net. I thought you’d enjoy the first story I ever blogged on December 1, 2006. The Journey of one thousand miles begins with one single step. -Chinese Proverb   Catfish Lies: Straight from the Delta When is the truth a lie? We talk about “little white lies” and half-truths. Is there such a thing? …

A Word from Curt We’re on a journey and our map is: To stay curious. Continue to be amazed at life. Share Remarkable* Stories with our friends and readers.   *A remarkable sound: a dueling duet between a Cardinal and Mockingbird in our backyard. I wonder how we’d react if we’d never heard the songs of these classic Southern songsters? In …

  I’d like you to have a first listen to what is going to be a special project: the Audible version of our latest novel, As the Crow Flies. Listen to the first 15 minutes of the novel.  I believe you’ll agree that narrator Whitney Ann Jenkins “nails” Missouri Cotton. I’d love your feedback. Have a great day! Curt   …

Wow!  I wrote my first book, Stories from the Creekbank, in 2000. Not only is it still in print, but it’s a steady seller. I’m so grateful for friends and readers like you who’ve kept my thirteen books “evergreen.” Evergreen is the book-selling term for a title that continues to sell long after its publication. We’ve been blessed in this. …

Upcoming book appearances Sat. Dec. 9 Grant Christmas Tree Farm Friday, Dec. 15 2-5 pm Thrifty Way-DeRidder Saturday, Dec. 16  8-noon  Nichol’s DeQuincy   Learn more about Christmas Jelly and our other twelve books at www.creekbank.net The Best Present I Ever Received Chapter 7 from Christmas Jelly by Curt Iles   It seemed to be a sorry excuse of a …

Don’t miss Curt on these book events:  Grant Christmas Tree Farm this Saturday (December 2) as well as next Saturday, December 9.  We’ll also make our final Christmas book signings on Saturday, December 26 at Nichol’s in DeQuincy and Thrifty Way-DeRidder. _______________________ A word from Curt My theme for December continues with a Thanksgiving motif:  Living Gratefully. I want my …

  A word from Curt We have a special offer for you to own the three-book Westport Trilogy. It follows Joe and Eliza Moore through The Wayfaring Stranger, A Good Place, and the final book, As the Crow Flies. Each book is a standalone novel but they are best read in order.  This week, you can get all three books …