Welcome to Catch The Spirit of Appalachia Books
In 1995, Geraldine Queen of Tuckasegee called, asking me to write the story of her son, Tony, who had been the victim of local crimes leading to his death. At first I worried about achieving the right way to tell the story; after all, my books were labeled historical fiction. After much deliberation, and encouragement from my husband, Phil Scopelite, editor of a magazine in Chicago at the time, I accepted. When the manuscript was completed, I approached my publisher. The editor told me it would be two years before the book would be on the market. This was unacceptable to Geraldine and myself, so we set out to raise the funds to do it ourselves. The first printing of the book almost sold out within four months of its published date.
And so, the success of this endeavor whetted our appetites—my sister's and mine. Visions of publishing the voices that otherwise would never be heard flooded our minds. craftspeople of Western North Carolina. Thus the more people choose to donate toward this endowment, the more books, the more support for heritage, arts and crafts. In other words, more books such as those listed below will materialize in coming years. My heart sings!
—Amy Ammons Garza
In March 2006, Catch the Spirit achieved another of it's long-term goals. We established The Catch The Spirit of Appalachia Endowment Fund with the North Carolina Community Foundation. All proceeds from the endowment each year will go to support scholarships for our local youth in Appalachian Studies, and to publish writers, artists and craftspeople of Western North Carolina. Thus the more people choose to donate toward this endowment, the more books, the more support for heritage, arts and crafts. In other words, more books such as those listed below will materialize in
