IN THE TRADITION OF AMERICAN STORYTELLING, AUTHOR LONNIE E. BROWN FIRST SHARED THESE STORIES WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO RESPONDED WITH SIDE-SPLITTING LAUGHTER. THEY CONVINCED HIM TO WRITE ABOUT HIS HUMOR-FILLED EXPERIENCES AND OBSERVATIONS OF LIFE WHEN HE WAS GROWING UP AT THE EDGE OF APPALACHIA. LEARN WHY GRANNY GOT TWO NEW NAMES ON HER WEDDING DAY, AND WHY SHE GOT A NEW CHURCH WHEN THE PREACHER HAD TO GET A NEW SUIT. FIND OUT WHY A DEAD MAN SAT UP IN BED, WHY LONNIE WALKED AN OPOSSUM HOME, AND WHY A MUD DAUBER WASP COULDN'T BUILD A NEST. READ ABOUT CHURCH ANTICS, GHOSTLY ENCOUNTERS, COURTING CUSTOMS, SCHOOL DAYS, TURKEY DRIVES, AND PRANKS THAT BACKFIRED. LEARN ABOUT HARD WORK AND THE BONDS OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS. REMEMBER THE MOMENTS YOU TREASURED IN YOUR OWN LIFE AS YOU READ THIS HILARIOUS, HEART-WARMING COLLECTION OF "STORIES YOU WON'T BELIEVE".
LONNIE E. BROWN, THE OLDEST OF SIX CHILDREN, WAS BORN IN RUSSEL SPRINGS, KENTUCKY, BUT HAS LIVED IN LOUISVILLE FOR MANY YEARS. AN ACCOMPLISHED MUSICIAN AND GOLFER, HE ALSO ENJOYS TRAVELING, READING (ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE CIVIL WAR), AND CONDUCTING PARANORMAL INVESTIGATIONS WITH HIS WIFE ROBERTA AND THEIR MANY GHOST HUNTER FRIENDS.
**************************************************************************
THE BOOK "STORIES YOU WON'T BELIEVE" READS AS FOLLOWS FOR THE
DEDICATION
THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO MY WIFE. ROBERTA SIMPSON BROWN, WHO MADE THIS BOOK POSSIBLE BY ENCOURAGING ME TO WRITE AND BY TYPING THE MANUSCRIPT.
IT IS ALSO DEDICATED TO MY LATE PARENTS, LUCIAN E. AND LENA MAE BROWN, WHO TOLD ME STORIES AND ALLOWED ME TO EXPLORE LIFE ON MY OWN. AND TO MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, NELINE, LEWIS, EL WANDA, DEL VONTRICE, AND HL. L. (KNOWN AS CHARLIE), AND THEIR FAMILIES.
IT IS DEDICATED ALSO TO MY BEST FRIEND, THROUGH THE YEARS, JERRY ANDERSON, WHO WAS WITH ME IN ALL MY EXPLORATIONS AND ADVENTURES, HELPING ME CARRY THEM OUT.
AND LAST, I DEDICATE THIS TO ALL MY BOYHOOD FRIENDS (HOLLIS DEHART, ROGER HOPPER, JOSEPH MILLER, A.G. REESE, AND RONALD SMITH); TO MY CURRENT GOLFING BUDDIES, (PARTNER GROVER GADDIE, AND ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE MEL FORMAN LEAGUE): AND TO ALL MY MUSICIANS FRIENDS I HAD THE PLEASURE OF PLAYING MUSIC WITH THROUGH THE YEARS.
BY: LONNIE E. BROWN
**************************************************************************
THE BOOK "STORIES YOU WON'T BELIEVE" ALSO READS AS FOLLOWS FOR THE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO HELPED BRING THIS COLLECTION TOGETHER IS TOO LARGE TO LIST BY INDIVIDUAL NAMES. I WOULD LIKE TO NAME A FEW, HOWEVER.
I AM GRATEFUL TO MY IN-LAWS (ABD ALL MY WIFE'S FAMILY) FOR ALL THEIR SUPPORT: MY MOTHER-IN-LAW (LILLIAN SIMPSON) AND MY FATHER-IN-LAW (TOM SIMPSON) WHO TOLD ME MANY STORIES WHILE BREAKING GREEN BEANS; MY SISTER-IN-LAW (FATIMA) AND HER HUSBAND (ERVIN ATCHLEY) WHO ALWAYS ENCOURAGED ME IN MY MUSIC; MY SISTER-IN-LAW (VICKI BROWN) WHO ALWAYS ADDA A TOUCH OF CLASS TO MY LIFE, AND MY ROTHERS-IN-LAW (CHARLES KERR & BILLY HURT) WHO HAVE SHARED SOME INTERESTING TALES OF THEIR OWN.
I ESPECIALLY THANK SPECIAL FRIENDS WH HAVE GIVEN ME ENDLESS ENCOURAGEMENT, FUN, AND SUPPORT: KEITH AGE OF LOUISVILLE GHOST HUNTERS: JERRY AND MARY ANDERSON; MARY ANN BALLARD; BRIAN, SARAH AND ERIN BAKER; PEGGY BEDINGFIELD; BO BRATCHER; SHARON BROWN; PAUL AND GRETCHEN CARLISLE; DALE AND RENAE CLARK; DON COMP AND HIS LATE WIFE EDNA; MAYOR HOLLIS AND JANE DEHART OF RUSSELL SPRINGS, KENTUCKY; HEATHER DODSON; PAT AND JANE DRISKETT; VIVIAN DUKE; JOHN AND CAROL FERGUSON; THOMAS FREESE; GROVER AND LINDA GADDIE; JIM AND RUBY ANN GASKIN; GAYLE AND GENE GODFREY; JAY GRAVATTE; ELVIN AND LAVERNE GRIDER; DENNIS AND DEANNA HANSEN AND THEIR FAMILY; WANDA HARGROVE; DOLORES JACKSON; JOSEPH JONES; JAN AND JIM KINNEY; JASON AND SHERRI LANCASTER; NORMA LEWIS (WHO LAUGHS AT ALL MY FUNNY SAYINGS); DUKE AND KINGA LOW; WADE AND BARBARA MARTIN; DREWRY AND SHIRLEY MEECE; LINDA AND LYNWOOD MONTELL; JIM AND GAIL MOODY; STEPHEN AND SANDY MOTT; ROBERT PARKER (MR. GHOST WALKER, WHO SHARES SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS WITH US); TED AND LIZ PARKHURST (FOUNDERS AND FORMER OWNERS OF AUGUST HOUSE PUBLISHERS); LEE AND JOY PENNINGTON; LINDA PETTIT; PAM AND AL ROOKS (WHO ARE RELATIVES, TOO); GEORGE AND SUZI SCHUHMANN; TROY TAYLOR (AMERICAN GHOST SOCIETY); CATHY AND BOB THOMPSON; JOAN TODD; BILLY EDD WHEELER; DENNIS AND CANDY WILSON, AND ALL THE MANY FRIENDS WE HAVE THAT I DON'T HAVE ROOM TO NAME.
I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE HOW MUCH THE LATE JENNIFER SMITH MEANT TO MY WIFE AND ME. SHE WAS A BEAUTIFUL LADY WITH A BEAUTIFUL SPIRIT. SHE LIVED LIFE FULLY WITH AN UPBEAT, CARING, AND COURAGEOUS ATTITUDE, AND INSPIRED OTHERS AROUND HER TO DO THE SAME. SHE FILLED OUR LIVES WITH JOY AND GOODNESS THAT REMAIN EVEN THOUGH SHE IS GONE. HERS' TO YOU, JENNIFER, UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN!
LONNIE E. BROWN.
🤩👍👏✍👏🤝🫂😅☺