I love traveling to new places, especially places in the South and in the West. From my house in Monroe, Greenville MS is 112 miles, just a little over a two hour drive. I found the town quaint, though stores sparse in number, especially boutiques and the kinds of stores that would interest tourists who do lots of shopping. In spite of a rich heritage, live music is also sparse. However the two or three bars/taverns in town seem to do a very lively business at night. Where do all these people come from? Daytime traffic is light. Supposedly, Greenville is a town with lots of ghost. After dark, not everyone you meet in Greenville is alive. We told ghost stories till nearly midnight last night. I heard some very interesting tales.

Both of my books are now in the public library here, and will also be carried McCORMICK BOOK INN, a great independent bookstore. They also have a great site: The store’s motto posted on the site is Literature & Greenville: it’s like drinking the brown water. It’s just what we do. (And the drinking and bathing water here does have a certain tint to it.)

My lodging is in the beautiful, Greenville Inn & Suites. A hot day yesterday–96 degrees. Will likely be just as warm today. I set up in the Greenville Yacht Club, where we will be the rest of the day and to which I hope to return for a musical booking. I’ll have plenty of photos in the near future. I’ve made many new friends, met some extremely knowledgeable people, and booked some future appointments. The children of the Confederacy are beautiful and smart and it is encouraging to see them take such interest in history and heritage.

Whenever I think of Mississippi, I think of Robert Johnson and the deal he made with the devil-man at the crossroads. I especially loved Eric Clapton and Cream’s interpretation of that song. I wonder if writers, like musicians have to make deals with the devil. You can read an interesting and somewhat creepy version about Johnson’s deal here:

I’ll try to do another posting tonight or at least by tomorrow morning, so come back and visit.