Today’s Inheritance Books comes from Marcia Spillers. Hi Marcia, welcome to the Inheritance Books sofa. Take a seat. Would you like some tea?  The iced sort or the hot sort? While I’m getting that, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Marcia Spillers, and I was born a southern belle in the bayou country of West Monroe, Louisiana.  My father was the biggest influence in my life.  Born in Mississippi, he was an early feminist, and believed women should be taught the same things as men, and given the same opportunities.  He practiced what he believed, making sure my sister and I were educated so we could take care of ourselves, in addition to knowing how to fish, drive a boat, shoot a gun, and more importantly, stand up to any situation.  My mother was from Poland, and she supported my father’s beliefs. Of course, she had a few of her own, making sure we knew how to cook, set a table for guests, use the correct fork at a dinner party, and always make sure you had on lipstick in case someone took a picture.  I have a feeling my brothers got off easy during childhood.

Which book have you inherited from the generation above? Why is it special?

Both of my parents were avid readers, and passed that quality along to their four children.  I think the book I inherited from their generation is one my mother kept by her bedside a year or so before she passed.  “Moments of Peace in the Presence of God,” published by Bethany House Publishers, is a book of writings about reflections on God’s gift of love, hope and happiness. My mother would read it daily and reflect on the life she’d lived.  I think as we grow older, believing in the existence of a higher power is comforting.  I knew it was for her, and it is now for me.  I have the copy she kept by her bedside, and it brings me comfort whenever I read through it.

Which book would you like to leave to future generations? Why? 

The book that turned me into a lifelong reader is “Nancy and Plum,” by Betty MacDonald.  I found the book in my school library when I was in fifth grade, and from that moment on was hooked.    The story is a traditional tale of two little sisters, orphaned at an early age, who end up living at a farm/boarding house run by a cruel woman out in the country.  No matter what problems they faced, they remained steadfast in their love for one another, and their search for a better life.  The book taught me at an early age to stay positive and optimistic that good things were just around the corner.  The book also had an interesting contrast between the darkness inside the house where the woman was cruel to the children, and the lightness and love outside of the house in the countryside where the animals lived.   

Thank you for sharing your Inheritance Books with us, Marcia. All the best with your latest book!

Marcia’s book Murder at Mystery Bay Hotel is available to buy now. You can find out more about Marcia on her website, or catch up with her on Twitter (@mysterywriter2) or Facebook.