About Me
Michelle Cushing is the author of two novels, From a Vine published in 2007 and Faith Orion's Field released in December 2008.From a Vine book summary:As unassuming as a sweet olive vine, twenty-year-old Joy Baxter has always loved digging in the dirt, hoping to find buried treasure. Her desire to discover hidden secrets led her to one goal-–become an archeologist. Not necessarily a lofty goal, but for Joy it has its share of complications. As a community college student in the small town of Wenton, Georgia, she dreams of exploring the world, much to the chagrin of her family. Her overprotective mother, apathetic older sister, and promiscuous younger sister believe Joy should stay in Wenton and raise a family.Before she decides what to do with her future, Joy’s life changes when thirty-two-year-old Efram T. Corbet, a famous, wise-cracking artist from New York, moves to Wenton. Like a cross vine, Efram is both arrogant and cocky on the outside, but peaceful and spiritual on the inside. Like a root slowly making its way into the earth, Efram weaves his way into Joy’s life, moving from curiosity to friendship to love. Having found his muse, Efram paints her portrait, but Joy uncovers something much more valuable through him–-the courage to be an explorer, regardless of what others might think. When she is invited on an archeological dig in Egypt, and the chance to study at a big university, Joy is caught between her love for Efram and her lifetime of dreams to be fulfilled.From a Vine is a story about passion-–the kind we get from finding our muse and following its call. Witty, inspiring, and romantic, this remarkable work of literary fiction takes readers on a journey as aromatic as a garden, filled with flowers and plants that give the story an air of life and beauty. One can almost smell and feel the earth as Joy holds a clump of dirt in her hand, knowing what she wants from life.Faith Orion's Field book summary:"We have a saying in my family - embrace the crazy. You see, it's like this, everyone in my family needs a straight jacket. The most industrial one they can make. Something that would have confounded even Houdini."Chef Faith Orion, star of the FoodWorks Channel, has no intention of "embracing" her family's motto about craziness. Ashamed of her small town roots, Faith has spent the last twenty years hiding from her past and family. When Faith's mother dies from lupus, she must return to Mulberry Field, Arkansas to attend the funeral and reunite with her family, a bizarre mixture of lovable characters. There is Granny D, who flies her pajama bottoms atop a hillside every year to signal the sale of her mulberry jam. Faith's sister Gracie Ann is a new age follower who makes designer bed sheets for celebrities. Brother-in-law Glen "Jonesy" Jones is a self-proclaimed film auteur who makes B-movies and always says "Hot tamales and get your lemons!" when he gets excited. A "magnetized" grandpa, a transvestite uncle, and a niece in love with Patrick Swayze round out the family. But it is motorcycle-ridin', guitar-playin', mechanic Eddie Field, a former high school classmate, who helps Faith cope while she helps him deal with the loss of his dead wife.Join Faith Orion and the rest of the delightful cast of characters in this small Southern town as they "embrace the crazy." Charming, witty, and melancholy, the second novel by Michelle Cushing will leave readers looking to the stars, saying a soft prayer for those they miss, and embracing the ones close by.Website: FromaVine.comPublisher website: MulberryBark.comBoth books are availalbe at most major retail shops and online at Amazon.com, BN.com, and Target.com.
