What Is A Modern-Day Granny Woman?
In her newest book, A WITCH AWAKENS, poet and author Ellis Elliott writes a cozy mystery with unusual characters in it, namely "granny women." So I sat down with Ellis to ask her to tell me exactly what granny women are.
Dianne: Ellis, it's so nice to talk again. I so enjoyed your latest book, A WITCH AWAKENS. I was really drawn to the occult and spells and such when I was a young adult, which, apparently, was a while ago now. Your book took me back to that, and made me enjoy it all over again. So, on your book, let’s start with the origin—what first drew you to the idea of the Granny Woman, and how did they find their way into A WITCH AWAKENS?
Ellis: The sparks of an idea for my first cozy mystery novel flew from the unlikely source of the Civil War memoir of my great-great-grandfather. The novel, appropriately titled THE THRILLING ADVENTURES OF DANIEL ELLIS, was published in 1867. Ellis served as a “pilot” guiding Union soldiers, runaway slaves, deserting Confederates, and others through the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee. As I read and re-read, I became more interested in the unheard voices of the women left behind, and the stories of the few women mentioned in the book.
One of the women was named “Granny Grills,” and she motivated me to learn about Appalachian granny women. I learned granny women in Southern Appalachia in that time period were staples of their communities. They were folk medicine practitioners, meaning they cured the sick, tended to the dying, and saw women through labor and delivery.
Granny women were well-informed from the passed-down knowledge of the generations and diverse cultures that came before them, including Native American, Scots-Irish, African American, and English. They relied on their highly cultivated intuition and connection to the natural world. They mixed teachings from the Bible with a scoop of ritual, ceremony, and repetition.
Dianne: So you come by writing honestly, lol. An author in the family! Was there another catalyst in the family, a real-life person or personal experience that inspired your fictional portrayal of Cece’s Aunt Granny Hazel? How did you come to the idea of weaving this historical role into a contemporary mystery novel?
Ellis: Yes, my great aunt, Hazel, who we would visit multiple times during our summer visits to my grandmother in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Hazel never married or had kids, and lived in the house she was born in. She was intriguing to me as a child, living in this little house on the side of a mountain, growing most of her own food, and always wearing a cotton dress with work boots.
When it came to this mystery story, I knew I wanted to include a lineage of granny women that would both compare and contrast the different generations of women. I hoped it would add an interesting storyline alongside the amateur sleuth/murder mystery plot to have an element that might even be more mysterious than the crime mystery itself.
Dianne: Hazel sounds great. I think I would have been interested in her too! But, today, what qualities define a modern Granny Woman? Are they spiritual, practical, relational—or all of the above?
Ellis: A modern granny woman is much like her foremothers, in that she understands the importance of intuition, intention, community, and common sense. She knows and respects that there is more to the world than is our human-understanding. She can see and act upon the needs of the community around her because she believes we are all connected, including the natural world. She doesn’t shy away from hard work and is clear on what her priorities are.
Dianne: In today’s world, where knowledge often comes from digital sources, do you think we’ve lost something by moving away from this kind of community-rooted wisdom?
Ellis: Yes, and this wisdom is not only rooted in community, but also the natural world. The friends gathered around the “fire circle” referenced in the book have become a gathering around a laptop. We’ve become a kind of voyeur, and our interactions more distanced. Granted, there are a lot of upsides, but I think a granny woman would remind us to put our phones down and notice the world around us.
Dianne: You mentioned that a Granny Woman didn’t have to be an actual grandmother. Can you share examples—either from your life or from interviews you’ve done—of people who embody this spirit in modern times?
Ellis: I dedicated my book to my late friend Christie Bates, who would be my example. While she was a young grandmother, she also embodied the granny women traits I respect. Christie was a healer, as a therapist and in the addiction-recovery field. She was an activist, both in the recovery community and on the issue of body shaming. She had a deep intuitive sense that led her choices, and related to everyone as her equal.
She was also wise beyond her years, which I knew when we met in college, and I think we all know someone like that.
Dianne: Christie sounds like a wonderful friend. Once someone like that is in our lives, we never let them go, and I think it's wonderful that, in a small way, she lives on in your book.
Tell us about your YouTube interviews—what kinds of stories are you hoping to share through that series? What surprised you most in the conversations you’ve had so far about modern granny women?
Ellis: I wanted to hear people tell stories about someone they had known that they might consider a modern granny woman. I wanted to make sure they understood it did not need to be a grandmother, or necessarily a woman. Although several were the person’s actual grandmother, I also heard about a rebel nun teacher and a neighbor friend, among others. The thread that united the stories was that the people they chose loved them unconditionally and allowed them to be themselves, providing support instead of judgment. Some introduced a new world of possibilities to the person, or served as examples by the way they lived their lives. I even had one that served as an example of how not to be.
What became clear was that the folks chosen had nothing to do with wealth or material goods but instead was about how they made the other person feel. It goes to show what Maya Angelou said is true, “People will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”
Dianne: here's a peak at one of the videos:
Dianne: I like that what began as a cozy mystery for you, a departure from your first book, BREAK IN THE FIELD (poetry collection), has evolved into a whole second project tracing the granny women in the modern world.
And now I understand the granny women are going on tour?
Ellis: Yes, the wonderful Lori Caswell from Great Escapes Book Tours is taking Cece and her Aunt Granny Hazel on tour! The tour will "visit" several blogs to be interviewed, have a character interview, get reviewed, and just stop by to let the bloggers readers know the book is out there. And there is a contest to win a copy.
Dianne: Well that sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks so much for stopping by to talk about the book, and tell me, where can we visit the tour if we want to. Does it cost anything?
Ellis: Oh I would love for anyone to visit. The tour is free, and anyone who visits could win a copy of the book! And you can also read a free chapter on my website.
Here is the tour schedule:
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
May 19 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
May 20 – Deal Sharing Aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 21 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 22 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
May 23 – Frugal Freelancer – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 24 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 25 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
May 26 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
May 27 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 28 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – AUTHOR GUEST POST
May 28 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
May 29 – Ruff Drafts – AUTHOR GUEST POST
May 30 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
May 31 – TOUR PAGE PROMOTION
June 1 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
June 1 –Melina’s Book Blog – SPOTLIGHT
Dianne: Authors Electric readers, thanks for talking with Ellis with me today, and if you've ever wondered if a blog tour might be a good thing for your book, take a look at my video:
Remember, if you've written a book, it is evergreen. You can always keep marketing it, and even take it on a book tour! Good luck with your book, and see you next month!
EI
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