A Pulaski County Public Schools employee and Riverlawn Elementary School second-grade teacher has brought a lifelong goal to realization recently with the publishing of her book, “Where the Crops Never Fail.”
Amanda Hall Midkiff, a native of Pulaski County and the daughter of Charlotte and Duane Hall, attended Newbern Elementary, Dublin Middle, and finally PCHS where she graduated as a member of the Class of 1994.
Midkiff received her degree from Radford University and was immediately hired at Critzer Elementary School, where she taught for five years.
“After five years of teaching there, my husband (G.E. Midkiff) and I were expecting our first child, so I resigned to stay home and raise our first son,” Midkiff said. “That period of time at home turned into seven years, because we had two sons to raise … Caleb, who is now 18, and Parker, who is now 17.”
The idea of writing a book was inspired by her two sons during that break.
“When my oldest was four and my youngest was two, I wrote Where the Crops Never Fail for them,” she said. “It is filled with things I'd like for them to understand about life and how to deal with the storms that come from time to time. I really enjoyed writing that story and decided to send it off to Liberty (University) Press per chance it would be accepted. It was! But all publishing comes with some cost … it still needed editing and an illustrator. With our limited resources, I couldn't afford it at the time and so I put it in a drawer.”
The book sat there unpublished, but not forgotten.
“Thankfully, that is not where the story ended,” Midkiff said. “Recently, my good friend learned of this unfulfilled life dream and encouraged me to try again. I agreed, so I sent it to three other publishers and they all accepted it. I was beside myself! So, I chose Argyle Fox Publishing, which was the best decision, even making me glad that it didn't happen fourteen years earlier.”
With the ball again rolling on having the book published and put on the market, Midkiff sought support and opinions on the book.
“I reached out to Dr. Siers and asked him to read it,” she said. “He kindly did and endorsed it for me. Also, when I had returned to teaching in 2007, I shared my story with others in our county at that time. Dr. Stowers and Robin Keener also endorsed it for me.”
“Where the Crops Never Fail is a fantastic story about the complexities of family life told through plain, honest, Appalachian prose … It is part love story, part action-adventure, part history lesson, and part fable. Amanda Midkiff’s characters and dialogue caused me to feel I was visiting the family of my childhood. It was an immensely enjoyable visit,” Dr. Kevin Siers stated in his endorsement.
So, what is the book about, and how does it relate to children in our area?
“The story surrounds the life of the Jefferies' family,” Midkiff said. “They live in rural Virginia, on the Riverside Farm, near the New River. They, along with their charming farm animals, go through various trials. With wholesome values and principles, they weather the storms that face them. Although it is a children's chapter book, it's also designed for those young at heart.”
The book has now been listed and is available for pre purchase online at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Walmart, along with other online sellers in paperback or hardcover copy.